For the Good of Mankind - and other flamin' BS
by Imag
Summary: Storm/Logan fic: Storm puts together a team to investigate the disappearance of mutants from a California College. Plenty of action for the RoLo Combo - and a rough ride for Jubilee. See "Heart of a Warrior" for background info.
1. Happy Flamin' Birthday...

_Disclaimer:  I don't own the X-Men, yada yada yada…_

_Pimentel and Sons is a REAL place – I chose it randomly because it fit in the story…I don't own any part of it._

_UC Davis is a real location…makes the story more authentic…I don't own any part of it._

_The only thing I own in this story is the story itself and the computer I typed it on…_

_BTW – Thanks V for kickin' my butt and getting me to write this story.  Also, thanks for being the best beta-reader ever!_

**For the good of mankind…and other flamin' BS**

*****

What was that?

*"_Income elasticity, opportunity costs, Giffen goods…economics, ECONOMICS **ECONOMICS!**_**"* The thoughts of the upcoming midterm weighed heavily on Lisa Johnston's mind as she fell asleep late that Friday night while frantically trying to understand the nuances of macroeconomics.  She was sound asleep on top of her book when a noise jostled her awake.**

*"_That must be Suzie.  She's so damn inconsiderate – it's 3:30 in the friggin morning and she's making enough noise to wake up the friggin dead._"* "How RUDE!" she yelled as she put her head back onto her book and started to go back to sleep.  As soon as her head hit the book she heard the unmistakable sound of her bedroom door opening.  

"You've got a lot of nerve Suzie!" she said as she sat up and opened her eyes again.  While turning around to face her noisy, impolite roommate she suddenly remembered that all three of her suite mates had taken off for the weekend.  A cold shiver ran down her spine as she turned and saw 2 armed men in masks approaching her.  She tried to scream but the first man grabbed her and covered her mouth – silencing her from the rest of the nearly empty dorm.  The men were so quick she didn't even have time to use her mutant powers – which was unusual for her since speed was the essence of her unique gift.  With his other arm, the first man grabbed her by the waist and threw her to the bed.  By then, the second man had come in and raised a spray can to her head.  The expression on Lisa's face was one of pure fear as thoughts of serial rapists and murders quickly flashed through her mind.  Those were the last thoughts she had as the second man sprayed a healthy dose of something into her face.  It took mere seconds for the sweet smelling substance to work its way into her lungs.  While it did, Lisa's fright turned to exhaustion and then unconsciousness.  She quickly fell asleep – not knowing where she would wake up…or if she would wake up at all.

*****

Happy Flamin' Birthday

Nearly a year and a half later… 

It was 12:00am exactly on August 3 as Jubilee lay asleep in her bed at the academy.  She was abruptly awoken by a rough yet very familiar voice – the voice of her mentor.

"Jubes, wake up – we gotta get back ta Salem Center." Logan said while gently shaking her arm.

"Wha…?  Whozzat?  Wolvie?  What are you doing here?  What time is it?" She sleepily said as she sat up in bed.

"It's midnight – we gotta get back ta Salem Center, all hell is brakin' loose and we need yer help."

"My help?  What do you mean?  What happened?"  She said – now fully awake and alert to the fact that something serious must have happened to the X-Men to bring Logan to the academy in the middle of the night.

"I'll tell ya on the way kiddo…let's go." He yelled as he pulled her out of bed and toward the door.  

"Don't I even have time to put my uniform on?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern.

"Worry about that later" he said while pulling her down the hall of the academy.  

"What about Mr. Cassidy and Ms. Frost?  Don't you want them to come…?"

"Later…!"

Logan's anxiousness made Jubilee fully aware of the intensity of the situation. She quickly matched his stride down the hall.  They were headed down the main staircase into the darkened lobby toward the front doors when the lights came on, startling Jubilee.

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A chorus of voices yelled as the brightly lit room revealed both Generation X and X-Men teammates in the lobby.  "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Jubilee was completely blown away by the surprise.  She thought that maybe her Generation X teammates would do something for her birthday but she never thought she'd see all her former X-Men teammates.  But then, how often did one of the X-Men turn 18?  This was truly an occasion worthy of celebration!

"Omigosh!" she yelled as she ran and hugged each one that made the journey to see her:  Storm in particular – her surrogate mother, Rogue, Cike, Jean, Gambit, Beast, Xavier, Tasha - her newly adopted sister…even Bishop came to usher the young X-Man into adulthood - the first time she ever saw him without his guns.  The room had been nicely decorated and was full of presents and snacks – including her favorite cake:  angel-food with butterscotch icing.  She couldn't have been happier.  

They all sat around and watched her open her many many presents.  She was amazed at the level of presents she received this year.  On her 17th birthday they gave her clothes, stuffed animals, books, and the sorts.  This year she received higher quality gifts – electronic devices, more expensive clothing, and gift certificates from all of her favorite stores – and a few nice ones.  The biggest present however secretly waited for her outside as she unwrapped a small box given to her by Logan.  Inside were 2 identical keys with the letters AMG branded on them.

"Wolvie?  Is this what I think it is???"  she excitedly asked.  

"Well, why don't ya go outside and see fer yerself?"  he said with a smirk.

She ran outside and saw the best 18th birthday present she could have ever imagined – an authentic HMMWV (pronounced humvee) sitting in the driveway with a personalized plate that said "Jubes."  

"Wolvieeeeee!!!" she squealed excitedly.  "I can't believe it – my very own Hummer!!!"

"THAT AIN'T NO FLAMIN' HUMMER – THAT'S A HMMWV!" he countered!  "Model M1114" to be exact.  She was too busy jumping behind the wheel and starting it up to hear him though – but the rest of the group noticed.  No soupped up yuppie-mobile would do for his little girl.  She had to have the best and strongest.

"Ya coulda at least had it painted Logan" Rogue said – pointing to the black, green and brown camouflaged colors draping the truck.  "And what's an M-somethin'-14 anyway?"

"Pipe down Cornpone – that ain't no yuppie-mobile.  It's an authentic USMC **High ****Mobility ****Multipurpose ****Wheeled ****Vehicle – a HMMWV…with extra armor, winch, built in snorkel and polycarb glass.  It comes in one color – CAMO!  It wasn't created for comfort – it was created for use and protection – plain and simple.  Hell…she's lucky I put a stereo in it."**

"Geez Logan – she ain't goin' ta war ya know…she's just a kid!"

"You ain't been drivin' with her!  She needs all the protection she can get." he countered.  

"If you say so Shug."

"Can I take it for a spin?" Jubilee asked excitedly as she turned to Logan.

"Not until you read the manual from cover to cover." he said.

"But Wolvie…!"

"No buts about it – except yers parked on the sofa til ya finish reading the manual!"

"Hmrph!" she grunted while reaching for the glove compartment to pull out the manual.  There on top of the manual lay a nicely wrapped golden package with a ribbon on it.  "What's this?" she asked.

All eyes shifted from Jubilee to Logan and Storm then back to Jubilee as she examined the package, which had been nicely and femininely wrapped obviously by someone other than Logan.  Storm – who was standing by Logan's side – held his hand while Jubilee tugged at the wrapping.  

"She's going to love it" she said.

"Hope so!  I only paid fer HALF of it and it cost a bundle!"

"I told you she'd be happy with whatever we bought her but you said it had to be something very special.  You're such a sweetie Logan."

"It ain't that.  How often do ya turn 18 Ro?  The kid's had some tough breaks over the years, and I know her parents woulda made a big deal outta this…I just wanted it ta be somethin' she'd remember."

"Yes, but to get her a car – I MEAN HMMWV – as well?  That's going above and beyond the call of duty."

"She's done the same fer me…"

"A special birthday for your little girl Logan?  You talk a mean talk, but when it comes down to it you're the best father that little girl could have ever had."

"Hey – I just looked after her…made sure she kept her nose clean…that's all."

"Sure!  And you and I are just good friends…" she said sarcastically.

"Is that what we are?" he said with a grin as he pulled her close and gave her a quick smooch.

"Logan I can't think of anyone more suited to be called her father than you."  

"Well thankya Darlin' - but keep that to yerself.  I ain't got much use for everybody knowin' my business."

"Like they don't already know.  Look at everything you gave her - it must have cost you a fortune!"

"Not really – John Wraith helped me find the HMMWV – it was a steal at surplus costs…and as for the jewelry…"

"Wolvie!!!" Jubilee gasped as she saw the necklace and earrings.  She jumped out the HMMWV and ran and gave him and Storm a huge hug.  "Thank you Wolvie!  Thank you Storm!!"  The hug she gave him told him that he'd accomplished his goal of giving her a birthday to remember.  It also made him feel pretty good inside.  The X-Men were a family, but Storm was right – he considered himself to be Jubilee's father, and as so; he liked to see his little girl happy.  

"Thank you all!" she said with tears streaming down her cheeks as she gave each of them another hug.  It was only fitting though – the one X-Man that reminded all the others how much life was worth living was experiencing a little bit of the happiness she brought into all of their lives.  Even Xavier was taken back by the emotional response of the little firecracker.  It reminded him of why he first started the X-Men and how happy he was that they had grown into such a strong and special family.  

The X-Men stayed the rest of the night at the academy and helped Jubilee bring in her 18th birthday with a bang.  They sat around and talked about old times, the academy, Salem Center, and everything else that seemed to come up during conversation.  It being a Friday, Cassidy and Frost relaxed the rules a little and allowed the place to "let its hair down" so to speak.  By 8:00 the next morning, the academy had been transformed into an impromptu family reunion.

Later on that evening, things settled back to normal.  The Blackbird took off, taking most of the X-Men with it; all except for Logan.  He and Jubilee decided to ride back to Salem Center together in her new HMMWV.  They arrived an astounding 4 hours later.  Storm wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Logan yelling something like "SPEED LIMITS ARE LAWS LITTLE GIRL! NOT SUGGESTIONS!!!"


	2. The Mission - Sunny California

The following Monday Storm was walking by the command center when Xavier psi-called her and asked her to join him.  

"Yes Professor?" she said as she walked into the command center and noticed the rather concerned look on his face.

"I want you to take a look at this." he said while handing a report to her.  "It involves a popular university in California and several missing students – mostly presumed to have dropped out of college."

"You don't think they dropped out?"

"No, I don't – I think they were removed – quite possibly by force."

"What makes you say that Charles?"

"Well, all 13 students were in the top 5% of their high school classes."

"Yes, but that's no reason to suspect foul play – many colleges only accept the top 10% of their class and still a third drop-out." 

"This is true, but that's not what drew my attention to them…it's the fact that until they disappeared, they were all doing well.  One student – Jonathon Delaney was a sophomore with a 3.5 GPA, and another – Elisabeth Taft was a freshman with a 3.3…it just doesn't make any sense that they would drop out while doing so well."

"You're right Professor – that sounds odd, but kidnapping is pretty serious – didn't the police look into it?"

"Well, they were all in the dorms and within their first 2 years of school.  That's when most students drop out.  They all had roommates who reported them gone after returning for the weekend.  All of their stuff was gone as well – as if they spontaneously decided to move out."

"They didn't leave notes?"

"Not in their rooms but some roommates reported receiving emails later stating that they just wanted to get out and experience life before continuing college."

"And that's not enough for you?"

"No, and the main reason is because they haven't actually been seen by anyone since their disappearances; they just plain disappeared."

What about their parents?"

"For those that had parents or guardians, they reported them as missing.  All of them said the missing students never came home or contacted them with any school problems."

"The police still didn't list them as missing?"

"With what little evidence they had, 13 students "leaving" over the course of 3 years wasn't a priority.   They listed all 13 as 'DOR'."

"DOR?"  

"Dropped On Request" a raspy voice from behind her said as Logan walked in.  "It's a military term – mostly used in Special Forces training…what's the word Chuck?"

"We were just discussing a situation in California that I think warrants our attention."

"Izzatso?  Fun in the sun and plenty of beaches eh?  I think I can handle that."  Logan smirked.

"It'll be in the sun, but I don't know how much fun it'll be Logan.  This particular campus is located about an hour from the coast.  It's the University of California in Davis – UC Davis."

"I heard of that school" Logan said.  "Lotta eggheads come outta there – a pretty popular think tank 'cause it's close to the capitol.  They also got a couple bases around there…"

"Well this one has a history of students disappearing."

"Mutants?

"Yes – none have been confirmed by the police, but upon reading transcripts of their interviews with parents, it became obvious that many of them were "concerned" their children's disappearance may have been brought on by their 'differences.'"

"Did they say what type of differences?" Storm asked.

"Not to the police – I think they were afraid the police would have dropped their investigation if they found out the students were mutants – not that the police did anything anyway.  I've been in contact with several parents and they confirmed my beliefs – of the 4 parents I talked to, all 4 children were mutants that had recently discovered their unique abilities.  Some had control over their abilities, others were still very inexperienced with it."

"Enough yap…when do we leave?"  Logan snapped.  Patience wasn't one of his strong points and the thought of "children" being kidnapped because they were mutants seemed to really put him on edge.  

"Not just yet Logan – I want to find out what's going on and we can't do that by showing up in the Blackbird and asking a lot of questions.  We have to be a bit more discrete.  Storm, I've been working on a deep cover assignment for you and have created an identity under the name Arowlyn Montgomery.  You will be an associate professor in the Political Science department at UC Davis.  With your educational background, you should fit right in.  

They are on the quarter system there and school starts in late September so you'll have plenty of time to get there and get situated.  Assemble a team and brief me on your course of action."  

He gave Storm all the information he had then left her to her preparations.  She read through the material and quickly started working on a team to handle the situation.  Because he was so adept at deep cover operations, Logan was a natural; and with his military history, his background worked well with Storm's Political Science cover.  He was also the best "detective" in the entire group.  

Since they had very few leads to go on and needed to attack the problem from as many perspectives as possible, she wanted someone with a scientific background as well.  Beast was the obvious choice.  

In Storm's mind, this left only one vacancy - for someone to fit in with the youthful crowd.  There were two possible choices:  Cannonball and Jubilee.  Both had proven themselves in battle before and both were prime candidates.  They also had distinct advantages and skills.  Cannonball was a heavy hitter – he had gone up against several of the X-Men's worst adversaries and fared well.  He could handle himself in just about any situation and was quick on his feet.  Jubilee hadn't worked continuously with the X-Men for a number of years but had plenty of experience.  She also had been trained by Logan and could handle just about anything that came down the pike – something Logan pointed out to Storm as she made her decision.  In the end, both were deemed qualified but the job went to Jubilee because of her age and relative ease at blending in with the youth of a major university.  Her California background would also come in handy.

She assembled the team and started briefing them.  She wanted to make sure each person was willing to accept their role and responsibilities.

"Logan." she said.  "Do you think John Wraith can help you set up an identity that's associated with the area and university?"

"Sure – whaddya need?"

"I was thinking someone with a military background that interacted with the campus.  They have an ROTC program; that's one possible avenue.  Another is some sort liaison between the military and the government agencies there.  That way you can travel without suspicion…you can also guest-lecture from time to time on some of the issues involving the military and politics.  What would you feel most comfortable with?"

"I'll talk to John – see what we can come up with.  I'll have something for ya later on today.  But I don't know about that guest-lecturing crap…"

"It would be a great opportunity for you to pass on some of your knowledge to future generations…"

"Yah, whatever..."

"Good – make sure your last name is Montgomery."

"Montgomery?  What kinda Nancy-boy name is that?"

"It's MY Nancy-boy name…and you're MY Nancy-boy husband in this investigation!"

"Oh.  Um…Montgomery it is…"

"Beast – obviously someone with your unique talents could be useful in several ways.  The most effective choices are either as another faculty member or as a student.  I was thinking of a postdoc.  What do you think?"

"A postdoctoral scholar?  My stars and garters – the chance to live the life of a student again.  It seems too appealing to pass up."  

"Good – talk to Scott and set yourself up as a postdoc.  Graduate school is on a different schedule there so you will have to work quickly to get yourself situated.  That leaves you Jubilee." She said as she turned to the youngest X-Man.  "You have the simplest yet in some ways, most difficult assignment of all."

"Really?  What's that?"

"You get to be a student…again."

"That doesn't sound too difficult Storm."

"Well, you're also opening yourself up to a potential kidnapping – you're our intended target."

"Oh – that sounds…eeeww!"

"Hopefully we'll have this wrapped up before anyone targets you."

"Yeah – HOPEFULLY!"

"Beast – could you implant a subdermal homing device on her?"

"Ingenious Storm – a surefire method of keeping track of our Jubilation."

"You're lojackin' me?  Double ewww!"

"Quit yer yappin'!  It's fer your own good." Logan said in a somewhat fatherly voice.

"Well do I at least get to keep my truck?"

"HMMWV!" Logan growled.

"I don't see why not."  Storm laughed.  "It'll fit in so well with all the other cars.  Logan – can you get her a California tag?"

"Sure.  I'll put Gumbo on it.  He can lift – I MEAN ACQUIRE – California tags without a problem."

They discussed the intricacies of the mission down to the last detail then started preparing themselves.  Because it was already August, there was a real need to get established.  

Setting Jubilee up was easy.  With a few well-placed keystrokes, she was UC Davis' newest freshman.  Her new name was Kim Lee and she was from Long Beach.  She had enough history with the area to pull off any unexpected questions about her background.  To make her a more appealing target, Storm opted to leave her parents dead – of a recent car accident.  The more alone she appeared to be the better target she would make.  Storm just hoped they would uncover the fate of the missing students before anything happened to her.

Jubilee's major was listed as undeclared – that gave her reason to take a broad range of courses – form political science to chemistry to anthropology.  She was housed in the Emerson Hall dormitory.  It was the largest dorm on campus and also the location of where 7 of the 13 students disappeared.  Two more of the remaining 6 students were from Webster Hall – part of the area that Emerson was in, called Cuarto.  The other 4 students disappeared from 2 different housing areas:  2 from Tercero - a large set of traditional dorms – and 2 from Segundo; the oldest and most centered dorms on campus.  Emerson hall was nice – it consisted of 2 and 3 bedroom suites and had a pool and a spa – much to Jubilee's delight.  She was already looking forward to her mission.

Beast's new name was Harrison Jones.  He was a brilliant postdoc that had recently moved out from Stanford and was very interested in some of the research UC Davis was doing on genetic alteration in agricultural products.  UC Davis was the number 1 agricultural school in the US and had pioneered agricultural innovations for many years.  It fit perfectly for the genetics-interested mutant.

Storm's position was based in the college of Letters and Sciences.  At first that concerned her because she knew there were 3 undergraduate colleges at UC Davis:  Letters and Sciences, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Engineering.  Upon reading the university history though, she concluded that the 3 separate colleges were intertwined enough to give her exposure to faculty, staff and students from each area.  She would teach one lower division course and one upper division course during the fall quarter.  The lower division course would give her the most exposure to students and the upper division course would give her plenty of material to shmooze with other faculty members at the University Club – the faculty hangout.

That just left Logan, whose identity was carefully being crafted by his trusted friend and government contact John Wraith.  It was nice that he wasn't directly connected with the University because he wouldn't be scrutinized like Ororo and Hank.  There would also be very little record of his involvement with them - thus cutting down on the chance of being detected or investigated.  The only things needed now were physical disguises.  For Hank, it wasn't a problem – a few minor adjustments to his holo-emitter gave him the identity of his choice.  This wasn't a problem for Jubilee either – she already looked the part and because of her history so far away from California, nobody knew her.  That left Ororo and Logan.  When Storm told Logan he'd have to cut his hair and shave his sideburns, he about went through the roof…

"Well how do you expect to be a convincing military expert if you look like a fugitive from the Sasquatch family Dear?" 

"With my mutant factor, I'll have ta shave at least 3 times a day ta look like I'm in the military!"

Storm laughed as she ran her fingers through his hair.  "We'll get Beast to fit you with a holo-emitter.  It'll help with the times you can't get to a razor.  It'll also help with changing your identity when you're out investigating.  If it'll make you feel better, I may have to cut my hair as well."

"That's a shame Darlin' – seein' as how much I like playin' in yer mane.  I guess you are pretty identifiable though… S'pose yer gonna dye it too?  What color?"

"I don't know – what do you think?   Perhaps red?" she said with a coy smile.  

"Nah – red would make you look like a party girl.  You're too classy for that.  No one would take you seriously either." he said while running his fingers through her long hair and giving her a kiss.

"Well thank you." she laughed.  "I'll be sure NOT to mention that to Jean."

"Who? Oh, yeah…that'd be a good idea."

I suppose I could dye it black – it's most popular and least identifiable.  Perhaps I'll leave it long…after all, I wouldn't want to deprive you of such an obvious source of enjoyment."

"Never pictured you as a brunette – might be an interestin' look."

Later on that evening after an interesting conversation with John Wraith, Logan reported back to Storm with his new identity.

"Got a cover – ties in plenty well with the mission too." 

"What is it?" 

"DOD liaison for military/state affairs."

"Department of Defense?  Sounds pretty fancy – what do you do?"

"Sit and listen to a buncha crybabies yap."

"What?"

"It seems that with all the base closures of the 90's, some of the city economies in California went to crap.  That left the local governments in a pretty foul mood.  The existing bases requested a liaison between them and the local gov's…I'm their man – based outta the Governor's office in Sacramento and workin' outta my car.  Who could ask for a better cover?  I even picked up the rank of a full bird colonel."

"I see – so you listen to the concerns the local governments have with the existing military bases and make sure things run smoothly?"

"Yah – like I said…sit and listen to a buncha crybabies yap.  The lighter side of things is that I get ta check in on the ROTC units at both UC Davis and Sacramento State – the other college in that area."

"Check in on?"

"A rolling C.O. so ta speak…make sure they're tough enough."

"YOU?  Make sure THEY are tough enough?  By the Goddess Logan – don't hurt them."

"Hey – they gotta be ready for…"

"I know – _'anything that comes down the pike…' When do you leave?"_

"Saturday."

"So soon?" 

"The key to a good cover is background…gotta get there early and establish history.  It'll also give me time ta settle inta my new job before Jubilee arrives."

"Yes, I'll come with you – I need to get situated at Davis and find a nice place for us to stay.  By the way – what's your cover name?"

"Logan.  Logan Montgomery"

*****

The Dragon's Lair

"Status?" a well-groomed man in his mid forties said from behind his ice-cold sunglasses.

"We're moving along according to schedule" was the reply from a slightly younger man in a lab coat – obviously some sort of scientist.  "But subject UCD-4 isn't adjusting well.  Her vital statistics have slowly been degrading.  If it continues I think we'll have to stop using her."

"How long? 

"Four – five weeks tops if she continues at this rate."

"Have you learned anything from her?"

"Plenty."

"Good – then it wasn't a waste…get what you can from her then get rid of her."

With that, the man in the lab coat maneuvered his way through countless 9-foot cylinders to one marked UCD-4.  Each cylinder he walked past was filled with a blue fluid and had an unconscious mutant submerged in it with a SCUBA type breathing apparatus attached to their face.  

He stood in front of the chamber marked UCD-4 and typed a few keystrokes into a small keyboard attached to it's control panel.  A small light came on at the top of the cylinder and a slight hum started emanating from it.  A few seconds later the hum stopped and a small monitor attached to the front of the cylinder came to life with activity.  He recorded the mutant's vital statistics as stable but abnormal then looked up at her.  She was about 5'5 and looked to weigh about 110lbs.  As he observed her nude body, the smallest hint of remorse could be seen in his face.  She was only 21 years old…young enough to be his own daughter, and there he was experimenting on her like she was a lab rat.

The light at the top of the cylinder clicked off and he refocused on the issue at hand.  He quickly turned around and started the same procedure on several other chambers.

Later on that day a commotion stirred in the laboratory as another mutant was brought in.  He was already unconscious and strapped to a stretcher when they wheeled him in.  

"Who do we have here?" the man in the lab coat said to the three men wheeling him in.

"This one's from Bakersfield."

"He's come a long way hasn't he?"

"Yeah – and it took a lot to get 'em here.  This little freak has the ability to put his own force field up.  We got him while he was asleep but every time he twisted and turned in his sleep, that damn field went up.  We couldn't touch him and he kept breaking all our straps."

"Well hurry up and get him into one of the chambers.  His designation will be CSUB-3."

"Yeah – he's all yours…we gotta go ta LA next.  There's a suspected mutant at UCLA that our team down there'll need help with."

The mutant was about 6'3, 220lbs., African American, and in pretty good condition.  They injected him with an anesthetic then stripped him down and put sensors all over his body.  After checking the sensors, they fitted him with a mask and put him in the chamber.  As soon as the chamber was sealed, the lights came on and the hum of the machinery sprang to life.  


	3. California meets the X-Men

Sunny California

By the 11th, Both Logan and Ororo had packed and were ready to head to California.  To make things more realistic, they opted to get new vehicles in California.  Storm did the sensible thing and purchased a Mitsubishi 3000GT – something befitting an associate professor that would give her just enough attention to make a presence at UC Davis.  Logan did the practical thing and headed straight for the nearest government auction to pick up the only vehicle he saw fit for his stature – a HMMWV – though this time he settled for one without the hardened gunpoint and armor plating.  

"What?  It fits into my cover perfectly!" he said to Storm as he drove it up to the hotel and parked it next to her Mitsubishi.  "Ya ever see a Colonel drivin' around one o' them things?" he said sarcastically as he pointed at her car.

For the first couple weeks they lived out of a hotel; after that, they found a really nice house to rent in Northstar – the northern most part of Davis.  It was an uppercrust part of town that befitted the stature of the two well-to-do undercover X-Men – though the HMMWV looked a little out of place along side the beamers, Mercedes, and land cruisers in the neighborhood.  

The only thing missing in their lives was their family - Tasha, the newest member of adoptees to join the ranks of Kitty and Jubilee.  Storm was upfront with missing Tasha - she wished she could have brought her along, but the potential danger of the mission told her it wasn't prudent.  Logan put up a good front, and to the normal eye he didn't seem to miss her at all; but Storm knew otherwise…he missed her tremendously.

By the time they settled into their habitat they had collected a good amount of information on the city of Davis, the university, its surrounding areas, and much of what Northern California was known for.  The city of Davis was a very quaint little town.  It had about 45,000 people in it and because of it's educational base, was known to be one of the nicer cities in the area.  Crime was low and spirits were high.  The city was very clean, had lots of greenbelts and parks, and fostered a very friendly atmosphere - which made the duo miss Tasha even more.  Every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, Farmer's Market met in Central Park which brought out lots of blankets an BBQ's as people sat and listened to local bands and watched street performers.  Bicycles were everywhere - Davis was known as the bicycle capitol of the world; with a whopping 1.5 bikes per person.  The streets were all geared for the bike population, yielding a very friendly environment.  The people seemed very kind and open-minded – much like a small town was expected to be.

The campus was very similar to the city.  It fostered a very large arboretum bordered by a nicely sized creek, lots of greenery, and a sense of traditional educational values fostered by 21st century innovations.  The students that attended UC Davis did so not just because of the quality of education but also because of the beauty of its surroundings.  They could be caught cracking their books everywhere – the arboretum, creek, greenbelts and parks; every bit of greenery they could find…which was very much in abundance.

The more Storm investigated the place, the more puzzled she became.  She couldn't figure out how such a beautiful university and town could be the source of some sort of vicious crime or cover-up.  But it was out there somewhere – a person or a group of people responsible for the disappearance of 8 students.  No matter what, she'd find out what happened to them.

September came along and both Storm and Wolverine had settled into their covers.  They compared notes on a regular basis and filled Hank and Jubilee in as they went along.  CSU Sacramento had already started and Logan had already made several trips out to the ROTC program.  One particular afternoon, he returned to Northstar for lunch with Storm; the look on his face told her that he had some bad news.

"Logan, what is it?" she inquired.

"Davis ain't the only problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Eleven students have disappeared from CSU Sac. over the past 3 years.  Another 5 from CSU Stanislaus."

"What?  Where is Stanislaus?"

"'Bout 75 miles from here.  Same MO – all lived in the dorms, roommates came back and found them and their stuff gone."

"Were they all mutants?"

"I talked to 4 parents from Sac – 3 said their children had started acting strange lately…as if they were hiding something. I think it was their mutant powers surfacing.  The fourth came straight out and said it.  Of the 3 I got in touch with from Stanislaus, 2 admitted their children were mutants and one was pretty tight-lipped about it but was obviously hiding somethin'."

"Goddess, this is bigger than we thought.  What lead you to investigate the other campuses?"

"Overheard a student talkin' about one of their friends that dropped out.  It was enough ta get me lookin'.  The parents filed missing persons reports on all of 'em – made it easy to get the information.  But that may not be all of it.  What if somebody disappeared and nobody reported it?  People livin' in one-bedroom apartments, not gettin' along with their roommates, havin' tough times at school…who knows how many  are really gone."  

"I see your point Logan.  What else did you uncover when you talked to the parents?"

"None of the kids were flight risks…mostly well-grounded eggheads.  They kept their noses buried in the books, didn't even party much."

"Anti-social?"

"Yeah – kept their noses clean too, didn't draw too much attention to themselves at all."

"Boyfriends or girlfriends?"

"None of 'em."

"This is definitely specific targeting – choosing people that wouldn't be noticed or missed much."

"Yah – except by the parents…"

"Keep talking to the parents – see if you can get more information out of them."

"No prob – most of 'em have been pretty helpful.  Since the local police haven't done a damn thing, the parents take to any help they can get."

"Are you at risk of blowing your cover?"

"Don't see how – so far the only contact was by phone…"

"Good."

"I was gonna go visit a few of 'em…see if there were any clues the parents mighta missed.  I'll rent a car fer that though - and use my holo-emitter."

"Very well."

"What have you come up with Ro?"

"I've come up with some interesting facts about our missing 13 students.  Three were Political Science majors, 2 were International Relations majors, 3 were undeclared, 3 were in Biological Sciences, 1 - Animal Science and the last, Nutrition."

"Broad range huh?"

"Not as broad as you might think.  Political Science and International Relations are very similar – the students take many of the same courses.  That got me thinking.    The undeclared student took a lot of science courses, and the other 3 majors all have cross-related courses.  If you look at it, there are 2 distinct tracks here:  Social Sciences and Life Sciences.  I think the answers we seek lie in those 2 areas."

"Great – so you hobnob with the Politicos while Beast talks with the labrats."

"Yes, Beast arrives in a few days – he's been fully briefed on my discovery."

"And Jubes?"

"Her courses have already been chosen.  Political Science 1, Sociology 2, Chemistry 2A, and Animal Science 49A."

"Dang – ain't that a bit much for a freshman?"

"Not really – they're all introductory classes – I think she'll be fine."

"What about that Animal Sci. class – ain't that a lot ta tack onto Chemistry?"

"Animal Science 49A is an animal husbandry class…2 units of getting to know animals."

"Which animals?"

"This particular one involves horses."

"Getting' ta know them?  You mean…"

"That's right Logan, she gets to clean stables and feed horses for 10 weeks."

"Hah!  What a hoot!  I can't wait ta see her Beverly Hills ass cleanin' stables!"  He got a good kick out of Jubilee's class schedule – it would give him teasing material for at least 6 months.  He couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when she found out what her classes would be. 

After changing from his dress-greens into a civilian suit, he rented a car and went to talk to some of the parents.  Most of them lived in the bay area – making it easier for him to talk to several in a short period of time.  The first set of parents lived in Oakland.  He arrived a little after 3pm and met up with Janice Johnston.

"Hello Ms. Johnston, how are you?" he said in a very polite and out-of-character voice as she opened the door and peered out at him from behind a chain lock.

"I'm fine – may I help you?"

"My name is Lawrence Jacobs, I'm a federal investigator." he said as he showed her his badge and ID.

"Oh my God – is this about Lisa?"

"Yes ma'am it is."

"Have you found her?" she said with a bit of hope and a heavy dose of fear.  "Do you have any news?"

"Not yet man – I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"It's been a year and a half…and now you come to ask questions?  Why now?"

"May I come in?"

"Yes." she said as she unchained the door.

She invited him in and asked if he wanted anything to drink.  He thankfully declined her offer and sat down in the chair she led him to.  As she went to get a drink for herself, he looked around the living room.  He saw pictures of the family:   Richard, Lisa's father; and lots of pictures of Lisa when she was younger.  He could tell by the many pictures of Lisa and her mother together that they were very close.  She returned and Logan started talking to her.

"I'm sorry ma'am – I'm a federal investigator assigned to missing persons; your daughter's file just came across my desk.  I understand the local police listed your daughter as _'Dropped on Request' from UC Davis?"_

"That's what they said, but I know my Lisa – she wouldn't have dropped out of school and run off…even if she wasn't doing well or had a boyfriend.  She just wouldn't do it."

"She disappeared last March right?"

"Yes."

"That would make her just over 21 right now."

"Yes."

"Ma'am, I need to ask you some questions that may sound a little…hurtful.  Please keep in mind that I'm just trying to be thorough and explore all the possibilities – it's nothing against your daughter, I just need to know."

"Okay."

"Did your daughter ever get into any trouble?"

"No."

"Ever take drugs?"

"NO!"

"Hang out with the wrong crowd?"

"No"

"Have any enemies that you knew of…someone that just didn't like her?"

"She mostly kept to herself – didn't have many friends.  She was shy – she studied a lot and worked on her computer a lot."

"Hobbies?"

"Not many…"

"Was she sexually active?"

"No!"

"Are you sure ma'am?"

"Positive – I would have known.  She may have been shy, but I always knew when she was hiding something."

"Was she a mutant?"

The pause Ms. Johnston gave him prompted curiosity – actually, it answered his question for him.

"Ma'am, was she a mutant?"  She was very hesitant to answer the question and Logan knew precisely why.  "Ma'am, I'm a federal investigator – I'll investigate your daughter's disappearance no matter what; but in order for me to do that, I have to know more about her."

"Yes, she is a mutant."

"Did other people know?"

"Very few – I don't think anybody at school knew."

"Can you tell me about her.  Do you know what her abilities are?"

"Once when she was young, she was playing tag with some kids.  We lived in Palo Alto at the time  - across from a greenbelt and I could see her from the upstairs bedroom window.  She was "it" and was chasing after the other kids.  I remember laughing a little as she tried to catch one kid after another but was too slow to do it.  Then all of a sudden as she was chasing a kid, she just sped up – like a flash of light or something."

"Sped up?"

"Yes, like she could run as fast as light.  She seemed to disappear for a second and I ran outside looking for her.  I found her at the other end of the greenbelt in some bushes.  She ran so fast that she couldn't stop and crashed into them.  That's when I realized she was a mutant."

"What did you do next?"

"Word got out that there was something wrong with her so we moved here.  We made her promise never to do it again.  I think that's why she didn't make many friends after that – she was too afraid they'd find out what she was."

"You mean WHO she was" Logan grumbled.  "She ain't less than human…she ain't a _'what'!" he said in his normal voice._

"You're right Mr. Jacobs – I'm sorry.  I just want my daughter back.  Do you think she's still out there?"

"I don't know lady – but I aim ta find out."

His demeanor and tone had changed so much that Janice picked up on it immediately.  She knew he wasn't just feeding her a line about her possibly running away.  He genuinely wanted to find Lisa…dead or alive, and the look in his eyes told her that he would.  

"Would you like to see her room Mr. Jacobs?" she asked.

"Sure – that would help out a lot actually."

She led him to Lisa's old bedroom – which hadn't changed since she disappeared.  Being the only child in a financially successful household, there were plenty of other rooms to fiddle with so the family just left her's alone.  Even after a year and a half, Logan picked up on her scent.  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  No narcotics, no traces of colognes, nothing unusual.  The only thing he picked up was her scent – which told him more than enough.  She really was as clean-cut as her mother portrayed her to be.  She obviously wasn't a flight risk.  Logan walked around and got a feel for the kind of person Lisa was.  He then stopped and looked at an 8x10 picture of her on her dresser.  With longer hair, she could have been Jubilee's twin sister.

"She was born in Beijing." Janice said.

"What?" Logan said as he snapped out of his trance and looked up from Lisa's picture.

"You were wondering why she doesn't look at all like her father right?  He's her stepfather.  Her real father died in Beijing.  He was part of an underground paper.  They caught him and…"

"I get the picture."

"Some of his friends helped us escape.  We came here when Lisa was just 2 and started a new life.  I met Richard a year later and we married.  After that, we officially changed our names.  Does that answer your question Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yeah."

Janice talked for about an hour about Lisa and the kind of child she was.  Logan patiently sat and listened.  He then told Janice that he'd get back to her as soon as he found anything and that one way or another, he would bring closure to the situation.  She thanked him for listening and for working on the case, then she hugged him.  The hug she gave him told him exactly how much pain and frustration she had gone through since her daughter's disappearance.  It was something he had seen before and didn't wish upon anyone.  He reaffirmed his promise to her then left and went to the next residence.

*****

And who might you be?

Storm went too a faculty mixer that the College of Letters and Science hosted for all of its professors, associate professors, and teaching assistants.  Even without her white hair, she immediately drew attention as she walked in.  She dyed her hair black, kept it long, and put it into a single ponytail.  With her perfect skin and nearly 6-foot tall stature, all eyes quickly became fixated on the gorgeous weather goddess.  The number of male faculty members that nearly tripped over themselves trying to get an introduction to her was amazingly high.  

"Hello, my name is Jonathon – Jonathon Grappert." a tall late-forties man who was kind (and fast) enough to bring her a drink said as he approached her.

"Thank you. My name is Arowlyn Montgomery.  How do you do?"  She said as she extended her hand to shake.  He noticed the band on her finger and his face immediately dropped.  As soon as he realized his face portrayed his true motivations, he perked up and started talking again.

"So, what do you teach?" he asked.

"Political Science." she said in kind. "And you?"

"The same – Fall quarter I'm teaching POL 10 and 121.  What about you?"

"I have POL 1 and 113."

"You're new around here aren't you?" Jonathon asked.

"Yes, I just moved here from New York."

"Oh?"

"Yes, from Sarah Lawrence – that's where I last taught."

"So what brings you out to the West Coast?"

"I needed a change, and my husband was offered a very nice position in the area so the timing was perfect."

"Is your husband here today?"

"'_Negative' – as he would say…he's at work…he couldn't make it."  _

"Military man eh?"

"Yes – he's a liaison between military bases and local governments, but he's in the Marines."

"Really?" Jonathon said with a little surprise.  "Somehow I can't picture a woman such as yourself involved with a…marine.  You seem to have so much…um"

"Class?" she said – choosing to finish his sentence for him.  "Well thank you for the compliment – but he's no ordinary marine."

"Somehow I can't imagine him being ordinary – I mean to attract a woman like you, he'd have to be quite extraordinary." Jonathon said.  Ororo smiled as Jonathon continued the conversation.  "Since you're new here, I'll introduce you to some of the other faculty members."  He took her by the hand and escorted her around the room.

"This is Professor Ronald Whittier – world renown economist – (in his own mind)" he whispered in Storm's ear.  "He's actually one of the best the university has to offer."

"You flatter me Jonathon, and who might this be?"

"My name is Arowlyn Montgomery.  I'm one of the new Political Science professors."

"Charmed to meet you" Ronald said.  "Let me introduce you to my wife Sara."

"What a coincidence" Jonathon said.  "Arowlyn here is from Sarah Lawrence."

"Really?" Ronald said.  "Did you study there?"

"No, actually I earned my doctorates at Yale.  I taught at Sarah Lawrence because I liked the area."

"Excuse me?!  Did you say Doctorates?" both men said.

"Yes – I have a JD in Civil Rights law and a Ph.D. in genetics."

"And you're teaching political science?"

"I earned my Ph.D. in genetics first, and worked in the industry for awhile but realized I liked working with people more.  That's when I went back and earned my JD.  It was the right choice."

"Genetics?" said Ronald.  "Then you absolutely must meet Hartford Ballister – he's one of the leaders in genetic research here at UC Davis.  There he is - talking with the Chancellor."

Ronald whisked Storm to where the Chancellor and Hartford were talking.  The abruptness of their arrival prompted the two conversing men to end their conversation and address the new arrivals.

"Greetings Ronald – and who do we have here?" Chancellor Vanderhoef said.

"Chancellor Vanderhoef, Hartford – this is Arowlyn Montgomery – one of the new Political Science professors."

"Welcome to UC Davis" both men said.  

"Thank you" she replied in kind – I absolutely love this campus – it's so beautiful.

"I can't quite place your accent" Hartford said to the beautiful woman now standing in front of him.  "it sounds like…um…"

"It's an African accent – I was born in the United States but raised in Africa for quite some time.  However, since I've been back for so many years, it has slowly faded."

"Arowlyn here has a JD and a Ph.D. in genetics – both from Yale." Ronald interjected – looking directly at Hartford.

"Really? Hartford said.  "I'm a genetics professor."

"So I've heard" Storm replied.

"We should get together and talk – I'd love to hear about your studies."

"I'd like that – I really want to get to know the faculty here.  Being so new to the West Coast, my social circle isn't very large right now."

"Let's have lunch soon.  I don't have my schedule with me, but I'll call you when I get back to the office."

"Yes – here's my phone number." She said as she wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him.  They then continued to socialize.  The mixer was a huge success and Storm met many of the faculty members there.  Because of her beauty, nearly every male at the event made some sort of contact with her.  Between advances, she made it a point to get to know the other faculty members and as many teaching assistants as possible.  Before the afternoon was over, she had made several breakfast and lunch dates and had collected a lot of information.  That evening, she met with Logan as he returned from the bay area.

"What have you learned Logan?" she asked as she opened the freezer and pulled out a pint of Häagen Dazs Rum Raisin ice cream.

"Not much else – just confirmation of what I told you before – these kids ain't flight risks…I don't think any of 'em ran off."

"Anymore missing students?" she asked between bites of Rum Raisin.

"Haven't had the chance ta check yet.  Been too busy."

"Perhaps we should call Bishop in – he can investigate some of the other schools."

"That ain't a bad idea Darlin' – he can check out some o' the schools outside the area – California's got a bunch of 'em.  Did you find anything?"

"I met with many of the faculty members today – made breakfast and lunch dates with several of them in sciences and social sciences." she said while spooning out a healthy dose of ice cream and feeding it to Logan.

"Any suspects?"

"At this point they are all suspects – by the way, several men made me very aware of their dissatisfaction at seeing my wedding ring."

"Izzatso?"

"Yes – I think you'll have to attend the next function with me…I doubt I'll get as many 'inquiries' with you around."

"Ya think?" he said with a grin as he popped out a claw, capped a cigar and lit it.

While Logan puffed on his cigar, Storm finished off the rum raisin and happily picked up the phone and started dialing.  A few seconds later, a huge smile stretched across her face.

"Tasha!" she yelled with delight.

"Mama!" a youthful voice yelled back.

"How are you doing Sweetie?"

"I'm fine – Uncle Gumbo and I are having so much fun together!  He's the greatest babysitter!"

"_It's GAMBIT Chere, GAMBIT!" Remy yelled from the background._

"Now Tasha, you know I don't like it when you call him that…" she said as she slapped Logan on the arm.

"What?!" he said in response…knowing full well what Tasha said.

"I really miss you and PapaLo.  When are you coming home?" Tasha asked.

"I miss you too Sweetie.  I don't know when we'll be coming home, but I promise we'll see each other soon.  Guess what I have for you?"

"What?" she squealed with curiosity.

"Airplane tickets for you and Uncle Gum…GAMbit to come out and spend Thanksgiving with us."

"Really???"

"Yes, and you know what else I have?"

"What???"

"Weekend passes to see Mickey Mouse at Disneyland!"  Tasha squealed with delight.

"Can Auntie Betsy come too?" she asked.

"Yes, Auntie Betsy can come too.  Would you like to talk to Logan?"

"Yes!!!"

"Hey Darlin', howya doin?" Logan said as Storm handed him the phone.

"PapaLo!!!!!  I miss you so much."

"I miss you too Darlin'.  You and Gumbo havin' fun?" **thwap** "Ow Storm!"

"He's the greatest babysitter PapaLo, today he started teaching me how to swing a staff and tonight he's going to teach me something he calls '_fi car stud.' Does that mean I'm going to learn to drive?"_

"It means I'm gonna have ta tighten Gumbo up when I get back there!"

"huh?"

"Never you mind.  You and Betts been practicin' yer martial arts?"

"Yes  - every day."

"Good – keep practicin' and the next time we see each other, we'll spar."

"Really?" She loved it when they sparred.  He always let her win, and usually her reward for winning was a tickle session followed by ice cream.

Logan put Tasha on the speakerphone and laid his head down on Storm's lap.  The three of them talked for an hour and a half before she fell asleep on the phone.  Storm and Logan listened quietly as Uncle Gumbo picked her up and put her in bed.  Storm wished she was back at the mansion to tuck her in, and although Logan never went for stuff like that; he loved watching Storm do it.  

The phone call pacified them both.  As Storm ran her hands through Logan's hair, the distinct sound of purring could be heard rumbling from his chest.  It didn't last long though…as soon as the lights went out, the purring stopped and the growling started - but she went easy on him.

*****

"They're not happy with the results we've been giving them." said the mid-forties man in the sunglasses.  "They expected to see more for the amount they've invested."

"What?  We're not baking cakes here!  There is NO recipe for success – these things take time!  We've given them promising results – eventually our research will give them what they want."

"Do you have anything else to give them?"

"Last night we made a small breakthrough.  We successfully activated a mutant power from a cultured sample.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to duplicate it with any other samples; but that puts us one step closer.

"Great – put together a report on last night's tests, but leave out the part about not being able to duplicate it with other samples.  They don't need to know that."

"I'll be taking some time off next week."

"What???  I've got bigwigs breathing down my neck and my lead scientist is taking time off?"

"I can't help it – school starts next week.  The first week is always the hardest, and I'm responsible for 2 classes.  I can't keep driving 2 hours back and forth to do this research.  I'll have to conduct more of it from my school lab."

"Well that's just grand!  Now I have to explain this as well!" the guy in the sunglasses yelled.

"Would you rather my wife and employer find out about this?  Either way, it could lead to some sort of investigation."

"Fine – just keep up with the results.  How is UCD-4 doing?"

"Not good – her vitals are still degrading."

"Well, if you have to get rid of her – make sure she can't be traced back here!"

"You do your job and I'll do mine!" the scientist said.

This obviously angered the man in the sunglasses.  He lowered them and gave the scientist a very disturbing look.  "What did you say Doctor?" he said in a very serious tone.

"Nothing!" said the scientist – trying hard to take back his last sentence.  "Nothing at all – I…I know my job – okay?  I'll take care of it."

"Good.  I'll check back with you after you return from your break."


	4. Enter the little Firecracker...

Firecracker

"That girl is a menace to society!  She should have her license PERMANENTLY revoked!   SHE NEEDS A LIFELONG BUS PASS, that's what she needs!"  Bishop yelled as he jumped out of Jubilee's HMMWV.

"Quit yappin'!  Ya got here didn't ya?" Jubilee countered.  "And in 1 piece I might add!"

"Only because your truck is so big that people got out the way when they saw you coming!"

"Jubilation Lee!  You DID abide by all the traffic laws on the way here didn't you?" Storm said as the two new arrivals walked up to their house.

"Storm!  Er, I mean – Arowlyn!  Wow – is this the house you rented?  It's awesome!" she yelled as she ran to Storm and hugged her.

"What about me?" Logan asked, walking out the front door and puffing on a cigar.

"Wolvieeeee!" She yelled.

"Bishop, are you okay? Storm empathetically inquired."

"You got any tranquilizers?  Three days and 2 nights on the road with her is enough to drive even Xavier crazy" he yelled as he pointed at Jubilee.

"He yelled and complained every minute I drove.  Finally I turned the stereo up – and he yelled even louder!  The big baby!" Jubilee countered.

"That woman has no concept of a speed limit and thinks yellow caution signs are there for her entertainment!  She took the curves through Tahoe like we were on a slalom course!"

"He's nothing like YOU Wolvie – all he did was yammer."

"'_WOLVIE' has an indestructible adamantium skeleton.  I DON'T!" he replied._

"Quit yappin' you two and get yer butts inside before someone hears ya!" Logan snapped.

They both followed Storm inside and settled into a good lunch.  Beast showed up a little after that and they all got down to business.  Storm gave her report on the situation then Logan told them what he found.  The debriefing took nearly 2 hours but they discussed everything down to the smallest detail.  Storm thought Hartford was a good lead.  Being associate dean at the college, he would know about all the other faculty members there, so she decided to stay close to him.  She ordered Beast to start snooping around the scientific community about interesting projects and people.  Perhaps he could turn up some leads.  Since Logan found missing students from other colleges, she ordered Bishop to investigate other schools in California and see if there were any leads.  Logan was to keep up with what he was doing – talking with parents and investigating schools in the area.  Storm told both of them to start looking at high schools, community colleges, and vocational schools as well.  

With everything in check, they started focusing on their mission.

"Beast, what about the homing device you were supposed to plant on Jubilee?"

"As you ordered.  One regulation style tracking device implanted in her arm, and as a backup…something of a more personal touch."

"I'll say – too bad it wasn't a SOFT touch!" Jubilee yelled.  

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been working on some fascinating stuff – I think you'll really like it.  I've been trying to combine Shiar technology with technology I salvaged from Apocalypse's ship.  His micro-technology combined with Shiar components have opened up an entirely different realm of scientific discovery.  The Shiar have a material that conducts electricity nearly as well as gold but doesn't have a metallic base.  It instead has…"

"Get to the flamin' point Beast!"

"Oh – yes, I was able to create a secondary homing device that is virtually undetectable – even under X-ray."

"Not that anyone would be X-raying that part of my body anyway!!!!"

"Um…I'm sorry Jubilation, after all the yelling you did when I put the implant in your arm, I thought a "fleshier" area might be more comfortable.  Besides, as you pointed out, who would look for a homing device there?"

"Where'd ya put it Beast?" Logan inquired.

"Let's just say it's in a well-padded area."

"I couldn't sit for a week!  And if that scar doesn't heal up perfectly, you're gonna be in big trouble Blue!"

"Hah" Logan interrupted as he figured it out.  "A real pain in the ass eh?  But if you think THAT'S a pain, wait til you see your class schedule!" he roared in laughter.

"What?  What am I taking?"

"I've already pre-enrolled you in Political Science 1, Sociology 2, Chemistry 2A, and Animal Science 49A." Storm told her.

"That doesn't sound too bad.  I saw most of them in the catalog but I don't remember Animal Science 49A – what's that?"

"That is…well, it's a…" Storm tried to get the words out.

"You'll be cleaning stables!" Logan laughed.

"EWWWW!  Cleaning Stables???  Storm, what are you trying to do to me?"

"Well…I wanted to get you involved in a broad range of courses without overloading yourself.  That one was open.  It's an introductory course without exams.  It was either that or Animal Science 1 – which would have been too much for your first quarter here.  It only meets 1 day a week – you'll enjoy it, I promise."

"Ya bring a shovel Jubes?" Logan snorted between laughs.

"What am I going to use for a vehicle while I'm here?  Jubilee's HMMWV?" Bishop asked Storm.  

"Yeah right!" Jubilee countered.  "There's no way you're driving MY HMMWV – get your own set of wheels."

"Well how about Logan's Hog – we drug it all the way here from Salem Center and he's already got a vehicle."

"Like the girl said" Logan replied.  "Get yer own set o' wheels.  You guys change the tags on it?"

"Yeah Logan – it's good to go – don't worry about it."

"We have a rental reserved for you Bishop – you can pick it up anytime." Storm said as she addressed Bishop's concerns.

"Good."

"I'll take you out to get it while Logan takes Jubilee to the dorm to get settled in."

"Great!  Let's go Wolvie – I can't wait to meet my new roomie.  She's a mallrat from San Francisco.  

Fifteen minutes later, Logan and Jubilee rolled up in front of Emerson Hall.  Her HMMWV definitely drew attention as she drove into Oxford Circle – the street Emerson Hall was located on.  More heads turned as the driver – a 5'5 105 lbs. woman – stepped out of it and joined a slightly shorter but very well-built man wearing a leather jacket, an intimidating frown, and a cigar.

"This is it Lee – go get checked in and I'll start unloadin' yer stuff!"

"Okay Wolvie."

She walked past the crowd of onlookers up to the makeshift reservation desk, which consisted of a row of tables on the grass by the main entrance.

"Is that your dad's truck?" the college-aged gentleman behind a sign that simply read "L-O" said.

"He's not my dad, and it's not his truck – it's **MY HMMWV!" she responded proudly.**

"What?  That's yours?  You're kidding!"

"Jim, is it?" she said as she read his obnoxiously bright nametag.

"Yes."

"That's Logan – he's more like a family friend – an uncle.  He gave it to me for my 18th birthday."

"That's some family friend – it musta set him back a lot."

"I dunno – he never told me – he's like that."  

"Man – I'd love to drive something like that – it looks like a lot of fun!"

"It is – when you don't have crybabies sittin' next to you!"

"Beg your pardon?  Do you think I could take it out for a spin sometime?"

"Maybe…" she said with a wink.  "Anyway – I better check in before Logan gets restless.  My name is Kim Lee."

"Oh – yeah, can I see your registration or an ID card?"

Jubilee pulled out her newly made California driver's license and handed it to Jim.  He checked her in and welcomed her to Emerson Hall.

"You're in Room 106A – right by the pool."

"Great!"

"Yeah, most people are happy when they hear about that.  There will be a community development meeting tonight at 7:30 in the main-lobby.  You'll meet your Resident Advisor and Resident Director, and will be given all necessary information about the dorms and your first couple weeks of school.  This is your temporary meal card." he said as he handed her a small business-card sized piece of paper.  "Your permanent meal card will be attached to your ID card once you get it.  Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah – where do the cute guys hang out?"

"**AT THE LIBRARY!" a raspy voice from behind her grunted.  "Where your butt'll be parked most of the time!"**

"Wolvie!" she yelled as she jumped back, startled by his arrival.  "A girl's gotta have SOME fun ya know!"

"What's takin' so long…Um gettin' tired o' people starin' at me."

"Well if you shaved every now and then, and didn't look like a Hell's Angel people probably wouldn't stare so much."

"Yah – whatever.  It's Saturday – I can look like whatever I flamin' want.  You done checkin' in?"

She turned to look at Jim.

"This is Logan; my friend I told you about – he sorta looks after me."

"Er, yes sir – she's done checking in." he said in a slightly nervous voice.

Where's yer flamin' room kiddo." 

"It's by the pool sir." Jim interjected.  "Inside the main doors and to the right – Number 106A."

"Thanks Bub.  Whaddya do around here besides direct traffic?"

"Um, I'm one of the program advisors in this area.  I help out with some of the educational and recreational programs…after today that is." he said with a slightly sturdier voice.  "I'm just helping out with registration today because I'm a sophomore and I went through this last year."

"You live around here?"

"Y-yes sir.  In 112."

"Oooh – not too far from me." Jubilee squealed. 

"So I can count on you to watch out for her and make sure nothin' happens to her right?" Logan said as he put his fists down on the registration table in front of Jim and looked him straight in the eyes and growled.

"Y-yes sir – y-you can count on me."

"Good! Cuz if anything happens ta her, I'll be back see?" he said while standing upright and turning around.  "And if I come back, I'll be lookin' fer YOU Bub!"  He then squinted his eyes and growled again before turning and walking back to the HMMWV.

"Stop that Wolvie! You're scaring him." 

He grunted a slight laugh.

"Did…did you call him Wolvy?"

"Yeah – that's my pet name for him."

"Why do you call him that?"

"Um…we were out camping once and a pack of wild wolves attacked us.  He took them all on and killed most of them – with his bare hands.  The rest turned tail and ran.  Ever since then I've been calling him Wolvie.  I thought about calling him Wolfie, but Wolvie sounds better – don't you tink?"

"A pack of wolves???"

"Yeah – he's pretty tough." she said – amazed at how fast she could think on her feet.

"Then for my sake – will you PLEASE not get into any trouble!"

"He's only joking Jim – he won't really hurt you; well…not seriously anyway." she said with a slight smile - trying to make light of the situation…knowing full well how serious Logan was.

Logan helped Jubilee unload all of her stuff and get situated in her new dorm room.  Jubilee being the developing young woman that she was drew lots of attention from some of the boys in the dorm – so much so that Logan could smell their hormones.  The guys that had the tenacity to look at her were met with the same attitude Jim faced when Logan caught them.  Some of them he even grunted at – either way, he made it pretty clear that Jubilee was NOT one to be messed with.  Before the day was over, she quickly became known as "the babe with that mean-assed short guy."

She quickly unpacked and set her room up.  Her poster of the Backstreet Boys was the first thing to hit the walls.  She smirked at Logan as he pretended to gag.  She redeemed herself though when she pulled out a framed picture of him and put it on her desk.  It was a picture he didn't know she had – one of him practicing his martial arts techniques.  His hair was in full force, making him unrecognizable to his cover…the one without his sideburns and wolverine-like tips.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"I've had it for awhile – I have pictures of all of you…especially you and Storm!"

"Heh – figures."

"What – y'all don't have pictures of me?"

"Hah!  You know Ro…she's got albums fer everybody – and 3 big fat ones just fer you."

"And you Wolvie?"

"Got a few…"

"Where? Back at Salem Center?"

"Yah…"

"What about here?"

"What and blow my cover? What if someone started snoopin' around the house?"

"How about in your wallet?"

"Um…" he grunted with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Wolvie – you're so sweet!" she said as she hugged him.

  
Her roommate hadn't moved in yet, but her two suitemates were there.  They had just come back from a quick trip to campus when they saw Jubilee settling in.  

"Hi, I'm Tammy." a bubbly voice said as she poked her head into Jubilee's room.  "And this is Ta…WHOA!" she said as she got a good look at Logan.  "Are you her father?"

"Hmrph" he snuffed.  "I'm a friend..."

"Oh my God!" Tammy said – obviously impressed with his physique.

"Let me see" a voice behind her said.  "Get out the way Tam…WHOA!"

"Hi I'm Kim – Kim Lee." Jubilee said to the two stunned women who still hadn't taken their eyes off Logan.  "So you're Tammy, and you must be Tara" she said as she tried to get their attention.

"Huh?  Oh, yeah – I'm Tara…your hunkmate."

"What?"

"Er, I mean your suitemate." Tara said - finally snapping out of it and focusing on Jubilee.

"Great – and the guy you've OBVIOUSLY noticed is Logan.  Like he said, he's a friend."

"So, you two girls are roomin' with Lee huh?" he said as he maneuvered his cigar around his mouth.

"Eh…yes.  We share the bedroom on the other side of the suite.  We're both from Blackhawke."

"Blackhawke eh?  Nice area…you two know each other before you came down?"

"Yeah" Tara said.  "We've been friends forever."

"You two mallrats?"

"Um, I guess you could say that…"

"Good – you and Lee'll get along just fine then.  Lee, I got a case o' the munchies.  You done settlin' in?  What say we go grab a burger?"

"Sure Wolvie – where?"

"Across the street – they gotta place called The Graduate…serves a mean burger and a mess o' fries.  You girls wanna join us?"

"CAN WE???? they both said in unison.  "EE EE EE EE EE" they squealed as they relished the thought of having dinner with such a hunk…something that immediately made Logan regret his offer.  

"Y'all can come – just don't do THAT again!" he snapped.  He was surprised when his abrupt attitude seemed to turn them on even more.  The hormones were definitely high in the dorm.

They walked over to The Graduate and Logan treated all the girls to dinner.  Jubilee tried to talk to Tammy and Tara about their backgrounds and what life would be like living together but they made it plainly clear that they'd have the rest of the year to get to know each other, but Logan was there right now!

It wasn't until Tara received a phone call that they snapped out of it.  She answered and found it to be one of her girlfriends and quickly excused herself.  Logan laughed at her as he heard what she was saying even though she was halfway across the restaurant.  She was telling her girlfriend to get over to the Graduate quick and check out her suitemate's hunk of a friend.

"I wish I had a cell phone." Jubilee sighed.

"Oh yeah – here!" Logan said, reaching inside his jacket pocket and pulling out a phone.

"For me?"

"Yeah – all yers…emergency purposes only – got it?"

"Thank you Wolvie – you're the greatest!  And yes – emergency purposes only." she said while smiling – knowing full well that her definition of an emergency was completely different from his.

"Did you just call him Wolvy?"

"Yeah.  That's what I call him – he's my Wolvie."

"Why?  What kind of nickname is that?"

"Well…uh" Logan started to say.

"He fought off a pack of wolves once when we were camping!" Jubilee interrupted.

Logan looked at her in shock.

"You did?" Tara said excitedly.  "Tell me about it."

"Um – Jubilee is MUCH better at tellin' it…ain't that right Darlin'."

"I'll tell you later – we'll have plenty of time to talk about stuff like that.

"Yeah – and y'all got yer dorm meetings ta go to anyway.  

*****

Meet my husband – he's really a nice guy!

"Jonathon, Hartford – how good it is to see you again." Storm said as she walked into the University Pub – UC Davis' most popular faculty hang out.  "I want to introduce you to my husband Logan.  He's been dying to meet you two." 

Logan gave her a cross-eyed look then shook hands with the two gentlemen.  

"Howya doin' Bub" Logan said to Hartford.  His attention was immediately drawn to Hartford.  He could smell the chemicals emanating from him even though he was dressed in casual clothing.  Storm had already told him that Hartford did a lot of research so he filed it away in the back of his head and settled into the lunch.

"So Logan, have you been listening to any crybabies yapping lately?" Jonathon comically said.

Logan looked at him with a bit of surprise then looked at Storm.  She smiled and returned his inquisition with a wink.  He grunted and refocused his attention on Jonathon.

"You and Arowlyn have been talking about my job eh?"

"Yes, she told me a little about it – it sounds quite interesting."

"Yeah – if you call listenin' ta gum-flappin' yahoos interestin'."

"You don't like it?"

"What's not ta like?  On one hand I got the flower power generation tellin' me they wanna see less military and more social programs and on the other hand I got city and county politicos tellin' me they wanna see more military because it helps their economy.  Either way -–all I hear is gum flappin'."

"Eh, yes…I can see where that might be a little annoying.  Why do you continue to do it?"

"I'm a '_people person.' Besides that, the pay is good, I get to hobknob with all the politicos, and I get plenty o' time ta spend with Ro." he said, winking at Storm.  _

This is true – we we've been invited to the Governor's house for dinner next week and we've already been to several other city and state functions." Storm interjected.

"Sounds interesting." Jonathon replied.

"It ain't a bad livin'" Logan said.  "So what do you do ta earn a buck Jonathon?"

"I teach politics – and when I'm not here, I spend my days on the Davis city council.  But don't let that frighten you, I'm really a nice person – despite my political background."

"Well, Arow speaks highly of you – ya can't be all bad.  What about you Hartford?"

"I'm a genetics professor here I teach 1-2 classes each quarter and do quite a bit of research.  I'm also one of the associate deans for the college."

"Yes, you were telling me about your work the other day."  Storm interjected.  "What exactly are you researching?"

"Don't open that can of worms Arowlyn – PLEASE!" Jonathon interrupted with an obvious look of disinterest.

"Quiet down Jonathon." Hartford quickly replied.  "The lady is interested in my work."

"And I'm interested in my bunions…doesn't mean anyone else wants to hear about it!"

"Ignore him – he's just upset because we have such different opinions on it."

"Yeah – I'm right and you're wrong…plain and simple Hartford!  You're one of my closest friends but I just can't agree with you on this."

"That's because you're one of them political types that can't see the value in scientific discovery."

"Now my curiosity is really peaked – what exactly is it." Storm inquired.

"I'm studying mutant genetics." Hartford said with an air of confidence.  "The whole mutant phenomenon fascinates me."

"Oh?" Storm said.  "And just what are you studying?"

"Everything – how the mutations occur, if the mutations can be controlled, how mutant powers are manifested, what mutant cells go through when they manifest their powers – everything I can study.  From a geneticist's standpoint, it's a dream come true – we're actually watching evolution in the works."  A crack of thunder could be heard in the distance, causing Hartford and Jonathon to look far to the west.  Logan eyed Storm suspiciously.

"Rain this time of year?" Jonathon said. "I don't remember hearing anything on the news…"

"That's odd." Hartford replied.

"It's probably nothing..." Storm said.  "do continue."

By then, both Logan and Storm were very interested in what Hartford had to say.  His audience's attention enticed him to continue discussing his research.  He talked about his past projects and how he learned about the specific chromosomes that had mutated.  He talked about how there were different types of mutations – some dominant and some recessive - which was how they sometimes skipped generations.  He talked about government grants and how he hoped his mutant research would eventually led to medical and possibly technological breakthroughs.  Hartford was the center of attention for about 25 minutes while Logan and Storm listened attentively and Jonathon grimaced and sipped his coffee.  After Hartford finished giving him the details, Jonathon started up.

"That's all fine and dandy Hartford, but your type of research only leads to exploitation of mutants, and you short-sighted scientists just don't see that."

"What do you mean?" Storm asked.

"Yes Jonathon, explain yourself." Hartford said in a belittling voice.  

"Your research brings more attention to mutants and mutant issues – making them center stage.  The more attention you bring, the more mutants have to bear the load of a world that fears them – often to the point of hatred."

"That's not true!" Hartford countered.

"Yes it is – and the civil liberties of mutants are jeopardized more and more each day!"

"How can you say that Jonathon?  My research is showing that mutant abilities can be used for good!  How can that be bad?"

"How can it be bad?  First and foremost we aren't ready for it yet.  Secondly – even if we WERE ready, it's still wrong to experiment on humans."

"There's no difference between this and experimenting on people with cancer."

"Yes there is – unfortunately, it takes a political mind to see that…something you don't – and never will – have my friend!" 

"What do you think about all of this Arowlyn?  You have both a political and scientific background – what's your take on it?" Hartford asked.

"Well, I can see both perspectives but I relate more with you Jonathon."

"Finally – an intelligent voice!" Jonathon said as he raised his hands in victory.

"How can you say that?" Hartford asked.

"Well, I can see doing research into the origins of mutations – that's scientific curiosity, but anything beyond that is exploitation."

"You tell 'em Ro." Logan interjected.

"It's like this" she continued. "Until mutant rights are as guaranteed as everyone else's, any type of experimentation is a violation of their civil rights."

"But think of all the good it can do." Hartford interrupted.  "I've heard reports of how some mutants have the ability to heal instantaneously.  Can you imagine that – mutants that are both disease and injury resistant?  Imagine if we could tap into that mutation and somehow manage to duplicate it.  Imagine what that would mean for the world – no more diseases, no more viruses, less fatalities in injuries, we might even be able to prevent birth defects…isn't THAT a benefit to mankind?"

"Yes – but at what cost?  It's like Jonathon said – this type of research leads to fear and often hatred of mutants.  And what about your test subjects?  How do you go about finding them?"

"They are all volunteers – well paid I might add."

"And why are they well-paid?"

"Well, because they wouldn't have done it if we didn't pay them well."

"And their identities?"

"All information is kept in the strictest of confidence."

"Why?" Storm inquired.

"Because if that information got out, they might…um"

"Exactly – they might be in danger from people that don't understand them and think they are dangerous.  That leads to attacks on mutants, which leads to mutants using their abilities to protect themselves, which leads to other problems like headlines that read "Mutant lashes out – 3 injured!" which leads to more mutant hatred.  Jonathon's right – we're not ready for something like this yet."

"But surely you see the scientific value in this?  My research has the potential to help millions of people."

"Yes, but by risking the welfare of thousands – it's not worth it."

"You don't think the welfare of thousands isn't worth the benefit of millions?"

"There's a word for that – jeopardizing the welfare of a few to benefit the masses is called OPPRESSION.  No matter how you look at it, it's oppression."

"What about you Logan?" Hartford asked – looking to the soldier for more support.  "Surely you can see the benefit in this."

"Leave me outta this Bub – you're on yer own."

"But you being a military man – you've probably fought in combat, no?"

"More than you could possibly imagine Hartford."

"Lost any friends?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

"Well, what if through my research, we created something that could have healed your friends whenever they were shot?  What if we created better ways to protect you in combat?  Surely that's a worthwhile goal, right?"

"Yeah – until you get to the flipside of it: unwilling experiments on soldiers…armies of slaves…who knows what it could lead to."

"That wouldn't happen…"

"It already has Bub!  Like I said…I'd rather keep my butt outta this.  You 3 have fun arguin'."

"With attitudes changing the way they are Hartford, I think the days of research like yours are coming to an end." Jonathon said.

"What do you mean?" he inquired.

"This is where politics steps in and takes over.  People are getting smarter and smarter everyday – it's a product of the media.  Constant exposure to information has made us more aware of what's going on in the world and because of that, we hold our politicians to a higher standard.  The days of mud slinging, and plain-old BS-ing are quickly ending.  In 10 or 20 years, politicians are gonna have to win elections based on the issues…and you have to admit, this is one of the biggest "issues" there is."

"Are you saying people in the past voted on things other than the issues?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying – and I'm sure Arowlyn would agree wouldn't you?"

"Yes actually, I would."

"Really?" Hartford said.

 "Twenty years ago an attack on mutants would have hardly gone noticed.  People didn't care about mutant rights because they hardly saw any, and when fear surrounding mutants led people to propagate violence toward them, people barely noticed. That's changed a lot recently – especially now that so many people have camcorders and cameras." Storm said.

"Really?" Hartford countered.  "How do you figure?"

"Well, do you remember that attack on that mutant family last year in Colorado Springs by the Friends of Humanity?"

"Yeah!" all three men at the table said.

"That had big news coverage – a family of four was attacked.  The father and one of the girls were killed, and the mother and other girl were seriously injured – the little girl lost her leg because of it."

"FOH Cowards!" Logan growled.

"Yeah – I couldn't believe what those SOB's did to that little girl – she was only 6." Jonathon added.

"A neighbor saw the whole thing and grabbed her camcorder.  In the end, the video is what convicted the FOH.  Everyone involved received multiple life sentences.  But what was most unique about the case was that people saw that poor little girl with her amputated leg.  It put a face on all those mutant attacks.  The headlines may have read "Mutants attacked by mob" but what people saw was a little girl being beat up by a bunch of closed-minded bigots.  That image alone did more for mutant rights than all the civil rights lawyers in the 10 years prior.  It attached a face to mutant issues and let people know that mutants were people too.  THAT'S what's going to lead to increased mutant rights." Storm concluded.

"Okay – I can see your point about mutant rights and politics and things like that" Hartford exclaimed, "but I just don't see how you can't recognize the importance of my research.  The possibilities are endless.  We can put an end to disease and injury, we can end world hunger, we can protect ourselves from virtually anything – that's a good thing you know!"

"Of course it's a good thing." Storm countered.  "But at what cost?  When have we paid too much for the benefits?"

"You just don't understand what we're doing here."

"I understand.  Actually, I am very interested by it and would like to know more.  Do you think I could stop by some time and see some of your results?"

"Sure!  Then you'll see what I'm talking about!"

Later on that night Logan and Storm found themselves conversing as they laid in bed.

"I don't like yer pal Hartford.  He's got a misguided attitude when it comes to mutants."

"Misguided – yes.  But do you really think he could be responsible for the disappearances?"

"Dunno – but he rubs me the wrong way.  His whole mode of thinking…it's what leads to mutant persecution."

"I hear what you're saying, but there's a big difference between Hartford and the Friends of Humanity.  I consider him a suspect, but my mind isn't quite made up yet.  Something tells me he may be a genuine person.  Though his quest for knowledge may have given him blinders, I don't think he's the type of person that would intentionally hurt someone.  He seems to really want to help people."

"I supposed that crack of thunder was just a coincidence then?"

"Yes…it was." She said with a wink.

"Yah whatever – he's bad news in my book."

"That hardly surprises me Logan.  Candy stripers are bad news in your book – let alone scientists."


	5. First Day of Class

The First Day of Class

It was 7:55am when Storm walked into room 1103 of the Social Sciences Annex – a lecture hall that seated close to 400 students.  Though her heart rate was slightly elevated, it wasn't due to nervousness – quite the opposite actually…it was the thrill of teaching: turning eager young students on to knowledge and getting them started on their futures.  The circumstances of her birth may have made her a warrior by trade, but teaching was something she always held dear – where she felt she could do the most good.  It was nice to be back in a classroom again – though her last roster didn't have 354 college-age freshmen on it.

As she walked in, the nearly 6 foot tall weather goddess with hair just inches from the ground turned the heads of the 30 or so students already there, and immediately gained the attention of the ones coming in.

"Greetings students."  she said once the class filled up - noting the excited young firecracker in the front row.  "I'm Professor Arowlyn Montgomery.  I'll be teaching Political Science 1 this quarter.  We'll be discussing the basics of the American political system – including its origins and evolution."

"Professor!" an eager young male student asked from the third row.  "Will you be having office hours today?"

"It's the first day!" she responded in shock.  "We haven't even gone over the first readings yet.  What questions could you possibly have at this point?" she asked.

"Oh…uh…" he replied – surprised at being put on the spot.  "I just…wanted to…um…talk about…some individual help if I needed it this quarter."

The other male students in the class chuckled – knowing full well he had inadvertently vocalized what they were all thinking about the gorgeous professor.  

"I see." Storm said with a smile while rubbing her hands together - bringing notable attention to her wedding ring.  "Well I'll go over all of that when I discuss the syllabus." she replied.  "As I said before, we'll discuss the basics of our political system this quarter.  We'll have 2 exams, a final, and several quizzes in your discussion sections.  For those of you thinking this will be an easy course to help acclimate you to the college setting – YOU'RE WRONG!  This will be a very difficult course; but with a decent amount of effort, you'll do well…and yes, I expect to see many of you in office hours – but not today." she said to the slightly embarrassed freshman.  "I suppose you want to know a little about me; and I'll definitely get to know you in your discussion sections.  Let's see, I have a Ph.D. in genetics and a JD in Civil Rights law.  I last taught at Sarah Michaels in New York, and am looking forward to my first quarter here at Davis.  Any questions so far?"

A flood of hands went up – nearly all male. 

"Professor Montgomery!" a high-pitched female voice squeaked.

"Yes?"

"While I'm sure all the BOYS in here want to ask you something important like what your phone number is or where you like to work out, I'd like to know if we'll be discussing civil rights this quarter."

"Very good question.  What's your name?"

"Kim, Kim Lee."

"Well Kim, our constitution is based on civil rights, so yes – we'll have some pretty significant civil rights discussions.  Also, my campus number is in the syllabus, my home number is unlisted, and I work out with my husband…the marine."  The women in the class burst into laughter while the men remained unusually quiet…and took down their hands.

Storm fit into her role of Professor like she had been doing it for years.  Even on the first day, the students responded to her very well.  She had a passion for teaching and they connected with her immediately.  It would seem teaching at the college level would be one more line to add to her already impressive and lengthy resume.

*****

Playing with Fire

The digital clock emitted a single pulse signifying the passing of another hour.  At 2am, the clock was the only thing making noise in the giant warehouse-sized lab.  The scientist watching over the mutant subjects that night was carefully going over some numbers he had received from the latest test results when he heard a motion alarm from one of the tanks go off.  The faint beep only lasted a second so the short, early thirties man quickly refocused on his research.  A few minutes later the alarm went off again – this time it kept beeping: one of the test subjects was actively moving.  He jumped to his feet and looked at the monitors: it was UCD-4, and her vital statistics were off the scale.  He immediately called for help from the guards and ran to the chamber.

The mutant inside was still unconscious but was starting to convulse.  Her brain activity was off the scale and every couple of seconds her body jerked unnaturally.  As the scientist studied her brainwaves and statistics, she started convulsing continuously.  He had never seen anything like it.  Her limbs jerked so fast he could barely see them.  Had she not been completely submerged, she quite possibly could have broken the 2-inch plexiglass walls of her chamber.  As it was, her suspended body just seemed to float and flail – stirring up the liquid in the chamber and pulling out some of her sensor attachments.

"What is it Doc?" 2 armed men yelled as they ran up to him.  "What's goin' on?"

"It's UCD-4, I was warned about her earlier today – she's rejecting the treatment and starting to convulse.  We need to get her out of there or who knows what'll happen – her mutant power is already starting to manifest itself uncontrollably."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Hold on a sec – I'll give her an injection of lydacane it should reverse the effects of the anesthesia and stop her from convulsing." he said as he punched the keypad.  He could hear the slight hiss of the fluid being injected into her through one of the many tubes and chords that hadn't been ripped from her body.  About a minute later her body stopped convulsing and calmed down.  The scientist knew that it wouldn't take long before the lydacane fully kicked in though.  He'd have to act fast if he wanted to protect all their research from being discovered.  

"Quickly, get her out of there and put her on a stretcher." he yelled.

They wheeled a staircase up to the tank and opened the top of it.  They then grabbed the woman by her armpits and pulled her out – severing the remaining connections between her and the sensors.  After getting her out, they placed her on the stretcher and looked to the doc for further instructions. 

"Hold on a sec – I'm preparing something for her."  He said as he finished prepping a syringe.  He injected a clear substance into her arm then with the depleted syringe, poked several more needle marks in and around her vein."

"What are you doing Doc?" one of the guards said.

"Covering our asses – we have to get rid of her and I don't want anyone tracing her back to this lab.  I just injected her with trace amounts of cocaine.  The other marks are to show a drug history."

He finished putting the needle marks on her arm and checked her eyes.  "I don't know what effects the drugs will have on her.  She may be fully conscious and aware soon or she may sleep for days.  In any case, get rid of her."

"Wait a minute – nobody said nothing about killing no girls!" one of the guards said.  "I ain't doin' it!  You better…"

"Don't kill her you imbecile!" the scientist yelled – just get her out of here.  She won't have any memory of this place – she's been unconscious for the last year and a half!"

"Oh…" responded the guard.

"Wash all that bio-fill off her, then dirty her up and dump her onto some road or something…she'll get picked up by the cops and that'll be that!  They'll think she's just another junkie that had too much sex, drugs and rock-n-roll.  Now hurry up and get her out of here before she wakes up."

The two men wheeled her out of the lab room and took her to the back end of the building where they kept all their vehicles.  The building was actually a large warehouse near several aircraft hangars on an abandoned base.  The base was completely empty when the scientist moved in which gave them the privacy they desired; and since they were operating near the hangers which were located on the most remote part of the base, even the surrounding community had no idea what was going on there.

The guards took her to a waterspout that had a large hose and nozzle attached to it.  

"Go find some soap" one guard said.  "I'll get started washing this crap offa her."

"Soap?  Where the hell am I gonna find soap Jeff?"

"The hell if I know – try the bathroom – or check out the car supplies; they gotta have something ta wash the cars with right?  It doesn't have ta be regular soap – just something to get this crap offa her."

A couple minutes later the other guard – Mike – came back with a couple large sponges and a bottle of Joy.  By then, Jeff had already propped the young woman up against the wall and started rinsing her off with the hose.

"Got this in the kitchen.  It's 'lemon scent.'" he said as he handed the stuff to Jeff.  "It should work."

"Well don't give it to me – start scrubbin'!"

"Me?  Why me?"

"Cuz I'm the senior guard – I've been here longer now hurry up, we don't have much time."

Mike soaked the sponge in joy and started washing the bio-fill off her.  It took nearly 20 minutes for the two of them to clean her up enough to get the laboratory smell off of her body.  Jeff took out a pocketknife and cut some of her hair off in odd lengths.  When Mike questioned him about it, he said it would add to her junkie image – they always had lousy looking hair.  After drying her off, they took a little dirt and rubbed it onto her skin in several places to give her the image of being a drifter.  They then put her in the back of a van and took off.   While placing her on the floor of the van, they noticed the first signs of consciousness – some slight moans.  

They quickly drove her to the other side of town – which for this small town, wasn't very far.  After searching for a few minutes they drove onto a frontage road between the freeway and some railroad tracks then parked the van and turned the lights off.

"We'll drop her off here – close to the freeway and railroad tracks.  That way the police will think she was just drifting from town to town when she got left behind or something."

"Good idea Jeff." Mike said.  As he climbed into the back of the van and started to pick her up.  He then stopped and looked at her."

"What the hell are you doin' Mike?" Jeff said.  "We gotta hurry."

"We want it to look like she's been into sex, drugs and rock-n-roll right?" Mike said as he started unbuttoning his pants.  "Well, what better way than…"

"Are you crazy?  What if she wakes up?"

"She won't – and even if she does – she'll be too stoned to remember me."

"Well I ain't watchin'" Jeff grunted as he got out of the van.  "Hurry up and call me when it's over." He said as he lit a cigarette and walked around to the other side of the van.  

Ten minutes later the door opened and Mike came out unbuttoning his pants.  

"Jeff – hurry up, she's starting to wake up.  I need help."

Jeff helped him pull the young woman out of the van and laid her on the side of the road.  They weren't too far from an onramp to Highway 99 and were a little worried that she'd wake up and somehow stumble onto the freeway and get hurt.  The risk of drawing unwanted attention to the area worried them so they decided an anonymous phone call to the police would be prudent.  

It was coming up on 3:15 and both the frontage road and Highway 99 were completely empty.  As they drove off, they noticed that the young woman had fallen asleep again – which eased their minds somewhat because they knew she wouldn't wake up and wonder off before they could get to a phone.  Once on the freeway, they drove to the nearest callbox and reported seeing a woman wondering around by the freeway and railroad tracks.  After that, they headed back to the hangar and told the nighttime scientist that everything had been taken care of.

The morning paper reported a small blip in the police section about an unknown woman picked up for suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and indecent exposure near the outskirts of town.  Everything worked out exactly as the scientist predicted it would. 

*****

Questions Questions Questions

_A few days later…_

"Logan" Storm said as she walked into their house.  "You've been following up on missing persons reports? How is it going?"

"It's goin'"

"Found anything?"

"I've checked out all MIA's from the community colleges and high schools – nothin' came up unusual.  I also checked up on all John and Jane Does in the area – none of them matched our the missing mutants."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"This is a longshot Logan, but also check hospitals and jails in the area for John and Jane Does.  Maybe one of our missing mutants really did leave home and they just don't want to be found out.  I'd like to eliminate that possibility.  See if anything turns up.  I have to check in with Beast."

"Will do Ro."

Twenty minutes later, Beast and Storm met for lunch in West Sacramento – an area just outside Davis.   

"Harrison – what have you found out?"

"Plenty – but very little of it is useful I fear."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I inquired about some of the research projects going on and though most researchers were eager to talk about their work; the bulk of it had no bearing on our investigation."

"Do you have anything else to report?"

"Yes – your friend Hartford Ballister has his hands in quite a bit – he may be the Associate Dean, but he overseas several research projects.  Unfortunately – those were the ones people were most tight-lipped about.  As he seems to have taken a fancy to you, perhaps YOU can get more information out of him."

'I'll try…he knows I'm curious about his research and he promised to show me more of it.  Keep looking around Beast.  Let it be known that you are interested in mutant research and see if you get any nibbles."

"Sure thing…Professor Montgomery.  Anything else…"

**Beep Beep**  **Beep Beep**  Storm's cell phone went off just as she was finishing her conversation with Beast.

"Hello, this is Arowlyn Montgomery."

"Ro – this is Logan.  I may have a lead?"

"What?"

"A anonymous motorist called in a couple nights ago – a lady in her early twenties was found on the side of the road in a town called Atwater."

"By the Goddess – is she alive?"

"Yeah.  They found her cold, dirty, naked and drugged up but they think she'll be okay.  They don't have an ID on her yet and she ain't sayin' much but I'm headed down ta check it out."

"How can they not have an ID on her?"

"Something wrong with her prints…they came up funny – like they had been altered somehow.  She's been fading in and out of consciousness so she ain't much help in tellin' what happened to her."

"Odd.  Okay, keep me informed."

She disconnected and immediately called Bishop.

"Bishop – report."

"Got lots to report Storm.  This thing is pretty big.  I've either called or visited nearly every college in the State.  I've found missing persons reports similar to those in Davis and Sacramento at nearly every State and UC school.  A total of 53 – all the same M.O., and since the ones targeted were those that were least likely to be missed, that number could be higher.  I haven't seen anything at any private or community colleges.  I also haven't seen anything at any high schools."

"By the Goddess!"

"The bulk of the disappearances seem to be in your area though – 21 total from Sacramento and Davis.  The other schools only reported 2 or 3 missing.  Whatever's going on, I'd say you're right in the middle of it."

"Understood.  Keep checking and report back at our next scheduled update." She turned to Beast and continued her conversation.  "I have to get back to Davis – my class starts soon.  I also need to talk with Hartford."

"Sure thing Professor Montgomery – I take it you'll pick up the tab for this lunch?"

"Me?"

"Well, you ARE a professor whereas I'm a lowly postdoc.  Wouldn't it be most appropriate for you to treat?  You wouldn't want anyone to become suspicious would you?"

"Okay you talked me into it – this time!"

An hour and a half later, Logan pulled up outside the Atwater Police Department.  He straightened his tie and checked his suit – which was the worst part of the job for him.  The Marine dress-greens weren't the greatest, but at least they seemed familiar…heck, they even made shaving three times a day almost worth it.  This Private Investigator crap really got to him though, as he longed for the days of his leather jacket and jeans.  

As he walked up to the reception desk of the police department he was greeted with the warm and friendly smile accustomed to small towns such as Atwater.

"Good afternoon sir – may I help you?" a cheerful lady asked from behind an inch of plexiglass.  

"Yeah – I'm a private investigator" he said as he quickly flashed his credentials.  "I'm looking for a missing coed from Davis – heard you guys picked up a Jane Doe..."

"Oh – you must mean our young Sleeping Beauty.  Such a tragic case…she's so pretty, I don't know why today's youth want to waste their lives away on drugs.  I really hope she gets her life together – who knows what might have happened to her if that fella hadn't called us from the freeway.  She could have been hit by a car or a train or something."

"What fella?"

"You know…he didn't leave his name – he just reported seeing a lady on the side of the road then hung up."

"Did he call from a cell phone?"

"No sir, he called from a CHP callbox."

"Damn!  Okay – where's the girl?"

"She's at MCMC right now…recovering from an overdose."

"MCMC?"

"Oh – that's the Merced County Medical Center.  It's in the next town – just about 6 miles down Highway 99.  You can't miss it – there are signs everywhere.  Go to the west wing, 4th floor and ask for Sgt. Barnes.  He'll tell you what you need to do to see her."

"Thanks Darlin'."

"You're welcome sir."

Logan quickly made it to MCMC and checked in with Sgt. Barnes.  Since the only evidence they found on her was the group of track marks on her arm, they hadn't charged her with anything except public nudity.  They were waiting for the toxicology report to come back so they could actually charge her with being under the influence of a controlled substance and send her off to jail.  Because of that, Logan had no problems seeing her – even though they had put her in the ward with other junkies and the sorts…

When he walked into the ward, he immediately picked up on a weak but familiar scent.  Sgt. Barnes ordered another police officer to assist Logan in finding her but it wasn't necessary – he let his nose lead himself right to her.  

"Is this her?" he said as he stopped in front of a bed with a young and quite tattered woman asleep in it.

"Yeah – that's her…how'd you know?"

"How long has she been asleep?"

"Pretty much the entire time she's been here.  She wakes up for an hour or 2, mumbles something about a tank, then falls back to sleep.  She'll probably snap out of it in a couple days or so when the drugs are out of her system.  How'd you know this was her?"

"Hold on a sec" he said as he lifted her arm and closely studied the track marks on it.  The officer couldn't tell, but Logan was doing more than studying her arm.  He sniffed the air several more times before figuring out what was going on.

"Her name is Lisa…Lisa Johnston."

"You know her?"

"Yeah – she's one of the missing kids I've been lookin' fer…  Her parents have been lookin' since she disappeared early last year."

"Well, if her parents did a better job raising her maybe she wouldn't have ended up drugged and naked on the side of the road. – These kids these days…they have no idea what living responsib…"

"She didn't do this!  Someone did it to her!"

"What?  What do you mean?"

"Someone poked her arm with a needle to make it look like she had a drug history."

"How can you tell?"

"Let's just say I got a nose for these things Bub.  There's something different about her too – she's too clean?"

"What?  She came in covered with dirt – it took 3 sponge baths just to clean her up."

"That's not what I mean – she was covered with dish soap.  The dirt was put on her to make it look like she'd been inta some bad stuff.  This stinks ta high-heaven…she ain't no basehead, she's a victim."

"I better get Sgt. Barnes in here right away."

Sgt. Barnes came in and addressed Logan's concerns.

"What do you mean she's a victim?  She's a victim of her own drug abuse…I've got the evidence right here" he said as he flashed a manila folder at Logan.  "Her blood is full of drugs."

"Her blood may be, but she doesn't have a history of it."

"How can you tell?"

"Like I told yer deputy here…I gotta nose fer things like this.  Did you do a drug test on her hair to see how long her drug history went back?"

"No – we didn't' have to – she had track marks all over her arm."

"Yeah – but a sample of her hair will prove what I'm saying…this was probably the first time she's ever tried drugs.  There's something else here too – what did they wash her down with?"

"It was an alcohol mix – not very strong."

"I'm detecting another scents – dish soap and some sorta chemical - her whole body was covered in it."

"What? How do you know these things?"

"I been doin' this type of investigatin' fer years.  Lemme see that tox. report."  Because he was so knowledgeable, Sgt. Barnes allowed Logan to see it.  "Says here they found traces of lydacane and anesthesia.  She ain't gotta weak heart – no reason for her to take lydacane. Somethin' fishy is definitely goin' on here.  Where exactly did you find her?"  Sgt. Barnes showed Logan where they found her on a map of the area.  He then called Janice Johnston to give her the news.

"Johnston residence." she answered.

"Mrs. Johnston, this is Lawrence Jacobs – do you remember me?"

"Yes I remember you…have you called to ask me more questions?"

"No – we found Lisa."

"What?!?!?!"

"Yeah – she's unconscious right now…been fading in and out since they picked her up a couple nights ago, but she should make a full recovery."

"Where is she?" Janice said with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"She's in a hospital in Merced, CA – take 99 down until you get to Merced, then just follow the signs…you can't miss it.  Go to the west wing – 4th floor.  I'll be waiting for you…it should take you about three and a half hours.

After informing Janice of the news regarding her daughter, he refocused on Lisa.  He studied the track marks more to see if they could give him any more information.  He noticed each mark looked like it either hit the vein precisely or missed completely – the mark of either a good junkie or someone with some sort of medical background trying to make Lisa look like a good junkie.  He also studied the scents surrounding her.  He picked up on the dirt rubbed into her to make her look like a drifter.  He picked up on the alcohol solution the nurses used to hap-hazardly clean her up – the typical treatment drifters and junkies received.  He picked up more of the chemical her body seemed to be covered in…he could smell it under her nails, in her hair, even in her ears.  The smell was familiar, but only vaguely familiar because it had been mixed and masked by so many other chemicals at that point.  He picked up on the injection of lydacane into her system.  He also picked up a bit of her natural scent – the one he noticed back at her parents' house.  With his senses working overtime, he even picked up on the slightest hint of carbon monoxide caused by the van exhaust they had driven her around in.  Then he picked up on something else – something he wished he hadn't…the scent of another man – an unwelcome one at that.

"Did you check her for sexual activity?" he said as he turned to Sgt. Barnes.  

"No…most baseheads have sex – it's a given.  Why should she have been any different?"

"Like I said – she ain't no basehead…and she DID have sex recently.  Though I don't think it was something she had in mind?"

"How can you tell?"

"I smell the cologne of another man…"

"So what – that just means she had sex – what makes you think it was forcible?"

"Well I don't know about you Bub, but when I make love to a woman…my scent ends up all over her…not just in a few choice spots.  This fella obviously didn't believe in foreplay."

"You can sense all that?" Sgt. Barnes said in astonishment.  

"Yeah, that's why I'm such a good investigator – the best there is as a matter of fact…cuz I can sniff out the clues." Logan said as he looked from Lisa up to Sgt. Barnes and back down again.  "Somethin's wrong with her hair too."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It was cut recently – Probably right before you found her."

"So…"

"So – it was probably done to make her look worse than she was…like a junkie.  What's the matter with you small-town cops…don't y'all ever watch Matlock?"

Four hours later Janice and her husband showed up and met Logan at the hospital.

"Where is she?" Janice yelled to Logan.  "Where is my baby."

"She's in there.  But before you go in, there are some things I need to talk to you about."

"What?"

"It looks like someone kidnapped yer daughter and cut her loose a couple nights ago.  They tried ta make it look like she was a junkie – like she did this to herself, so she looks pretty bad."

"I want to see her…"

"This way…" he said as he led her and her husband into the room.

"Oh my God" Janice said as she looked at her daughter.  Lisa was a lot thinner than the last time her mother saw her – which was saying a lot for her considering how petite she was to begin with.  Lying there unconscious with a pale complexion and her hair cut the way it was; she looked pretty bad.  Janice hugged her and started crying almost as soon as she saw her.  It didn't matter what Lisa looked like – Janice was just glad to have her back.  The hugging and crying woke Lisa and she weakly managed to open her eyes.

"M…mom?" she timidly said.

"Lisa?  My baby – oh my God Lisa…it's so good to have you back." her mother said between hugs

"Where…where am I?  How did I get here?"

"You're in the hospital." Janice said.  "That man found you."  She pointed to Logan; and so overcome with happiness she ran and gave him a hug.  That gave Lisa's father time to slip in and give his daughter a long-overdue hug.

"Dad?"  What happened?"

"I don't know Pumpkin…" he said as tears started forming in his eyes to.  "All I know is that I've missed you so much.  I love you so much Lisa."

"How long have I been gone?" Lisa asked - the sight of her parents giving her some much-needed strength.

"A year and a half." her father tearfully said.

"What?"

"A very painful year and a half…" he repeated.

"Do you remember anything?" Logan asked above her father's voice.  "Do you remember where you were?"

"No.  I…I don't remember anything."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"It feels like it was so long ago.  I…I was at Davis.  I heard my door open.  Someone grabbed me…that's all I remember.  The rest just seems like one long dream."

"What was your dream about?"

"Do you have to ask these questions now Mr. Jacobs? Janice interrupted.

"Ma'am – there are a lot of other kids missing out there and I need to figure out what's happened to them.  Yer daughter is the first of 'em ta be found and that means the others could still be alive.  I gotta ask these questions."

"It's okay mom.  My dreams were strange…I…I."

"Take yer time Darlin'…just relax."

"I remember being underwater – like I was SCUBA diving, but I couldn't go anywhere.  I couldn't move or anything.  I remember THAT in my dreams – not being able to do anything.  I also remember hearing heartbeats…they seemed to be all around me, tiny heartbeats.  I remember a man – I saw his face because he was on top of me.  I only saw him for a second because I was so tired but he had a rough beard – I remember seeing it.  I'm sorry Mr. Jacobs, I don't remember anything else."

"That's okay – you told me plenty Darlin'.  When you're feelin' better, I'm gonna come back and visit.  I'll introduce you to a friend of mine – a doctor.  I want him to examine you and make sure nobody has done any permanent damage to you.  Then I'll introduce you to another friend – she's a counselor so to speak…she's very wise.  She'll help you get through this…she'll also help you with a few other things you may have questions about."

"What kind of counselor is she?"

"Let's just say she specializes in lost souls like you and me."

"What?"

"Never mind that…you just rest and get better." he said as he started walking out the room.  Janice caught up with him just outside the door and hugged him again.  

"Thank you Mr. Jacobs for finding my daughter."

"Yer welcome ma'am."

"And thank you for looking even though she was…_a mutant_" she said in a whisper.

"She's a person lady – plain and simple…with the same rights and feelings as everybody else."

"Yes, but I've seen how mutants are treated – you didn't look down on her at all."

"Of course not – I know what it's like ta lose someone ya love…that's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.  Besides…" he said as his demeanor turned deadly serious and he popped out one of his claws and quickly withdrew it before anyone else noticed.  "Your daughter and I have more than you think in common.  I was once right where she is now – woke up without any memory of what happened to me and found out someone had done some things I didn't want done.  Um gonna find out who did this to yer daughter…That's a promise you can bank on.  History AIN'T gonna repeat itself if I have anything to say about it!"

"I'm so sorry" she said to him.

"Don't be…now's the time to be happy – you have yer daughter back.  She's gonna need yer help Janice.  She may not know what happened to her, but she knows someone did something to her against her will.  That's gonna eat away at her.  My friend'll be able to help her, but she's really gonna need you there for support."

"I'll be there for her…we both will."

"Good – you may wanna get her into a nicer room and tell the doctors ta keep a close eye on her…at least until the drugs are out of her system.  I'll be back tomorrow morning with my doctor friend.  He's the best there is – way ahead of the medicos they got workin' here.  He'll make sure she's fine."

"Thank you Mr. Jacobs."

"Yer welcome…" he said as he walked off.

Three hours later he pulled into a camp sight at Lake Berryessa.  It was the team's weekly meeting place outside Davis.  The roads to area were pretty windy and slow moving which made it easy to tell if they were being followed.  It also made it easy to tell if anyone was approaching them.  The location was pretty familiar to Logan and Jubilee because he'd taken her camping there before.  It was a new and welcome site for the rest of the X-Men as it allowed them a bit of recreation outside their X-Men activities.  

Logan was the first to arrive – followed by Beast, Storm, Bishop and finally Jubilee.  She was excused for being late because of her stable-cleaning duties – something she really didn't feel like being heckled about…which of course didn't stop the senior X-Men from really giving it to her.  After a few good horse jokes, they finally got down to business.

"Logan – what have you found?" Storm inquired.

"You hit it on the money with that police report investigation.  Lisa Johnston was found a couple nights ago by highway 99 in a town called Atwater.  She's been reunited with her parents and is recovering well at MCMC in Merced.  Me and Hank are goin' down tomorrow mornin' so he can do a through examination on her."

"Good – what have you discovered about her disappearance."

"Whoever it was kept her pretty clean and healthy.  Outside losing a few pounds, she was in relatively good condition.  Somebody went through a lot of trouble to hide her disappearance though.  It was clear they didn't want to kill her, but they did a good job makin' her look like a runaway junkie.  The shot her up with coke then dirtied her up ta make her look like a drifter.  Somebody raped her too.  There was something else about her…a scent I picked up that seemed familiar but I couldn't place it…it was covered up by all the other stuff she had on her."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah – she couldn't remember anything that had happened to her outside some strange dreams and wakin' up to some fella on top of her."

"What were her dreams about?"

"She said she was SCUBA divin' but couldn't move.  That's all I got so far."

"Bishop – you're next." Storm said.

"I'm just about finished with my investigation on other schools.  Fifty-three students have disappeared from CSU and UC schools in the last 3 years.  They all had the same MO – they lived in the dorms, their roommates came home one weekend and found all their stuff gone.  There may be more – I just can't tell."

"What about other schools."

"Nothing fishy going on at community colleges or high schools."

"You were saying something about the distribution?"

"Yeah – the further away from this area, the less missing students.  Whatever's going on, UC Davis and Sac. State are right in the middle of it."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"What about the other people you mentioned?  The ones that lived alone or had problems…"

"Too hard to investigate – there are too many of 'em."

"Okay – focus on Sac. State – check out all the drop-outs in the last 3 years and see if they are all accounted for."

"Will do Storm!"

"Beast?"

"Very little – I still haven't made any headway into Ballister's research – or any of the projects under him.  It's highly unlikely that someone of his stature would be involved in such activity, but considering everything he oversees – I'm quite sure that if there is something suspect at UC Davis – it would be in his area."

"Leave Ballister to me – I've arranged a meeting with him on Monday and he's going to give me a tour of his labs and show me his research.  I'll see if I can get a peek at some of the research the people under him are doing."

"Good – because I've gotten nowhere else.  I put the feelers out that I was interested in what genetic researchers have done but haven't gotten anything back yet."

"Okay – keep trying." Storm Said." Jubilee?"

"Besides cleaning stables – I haven't heard anything."

"Okay – I want you to start letting your powers slip out."

"Slip out?"

"Yeah – I want you to subtly let it be known that you are a mutant – but be selective…not around your roommates or anything…talk with professors and teaching assistants in their office hours and let it slip then…also, try your resident director."

"Okay."

After a lengthy discussion about everything else, the meeting convened and the X-Men started heading back.  Logan and Storm decided this would be the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time away from the mission so they stayed at the lake.  Living at the mansion in Salem Center was nice because they were around all of their "family" members, but living alone in California definitely had its benefits.  Sitting at Lake Berryessa and looking at the stars gave them peace that they rarely saw.

The trip to Berryessa also revitalized Wolverine who had just come from seeing Lisa and was in a piss-poor mood over the things he had discovered.  The anger in him had built up pretty high.  It wasn't to the point of his berserker rage, but for some unknown reason he was quite a bit madder than he thought he should be.  Storm sensed it in him as well, which contributed to her reason for staying at the lake.

"Logan?  Is something bothering you?" she said with a look of concern.  Although he had his arm around her waist and was straddling her side when she asked him, it was obvious that his mind was miles away.

"What?" he responded as if he had just snapped out of a trance.

"You seem distant.  What's wrong?"

"I dunno.  This mission is really gettin' ta me.  Somethin' about seeing Lisa really put me on edge."

"Did she look familiar?"

"No, it wasn't that…it was something else.  Something just made me angry when I saw her."

"Well that's understandable – she's been missing for a year and a half, and when you find her you discover obvious signs of abuse…"

"Yeah I know, but it's more than that…I just can't figure out what it is – somethin' about this really stinks.  That chemical she was covered in - I still can't place it but I know I've smelled it or somethin' like it before…recently."

"Well, let's trace your steps…it was obviously in California right?"

"Yah…"

"Do you think you came across it when you were talking to parents?"

"No – picked up on a lot of scents, but nothin' outta the ordinary…"

"Okay – maybe we're going about this the wrong way.  Since it's some sort of chemical smell, let's start with that.  Have you been around any labs recently?"

"Nope…not a one.  The closest I came to a lab was yer friend Hartford, and that was the other day at…WAIT A MINUTE!"

"Do you remember?"

"Yeah – at that lunch, yer friend Hartford smelled like it, but it was real faint on him."

"Is it the exact same scent?"

"I couldn't tell…Lisa had so many other scents on her that clashed.  But one thing's fer sure…I wanna get a closer look at yer friend's labs."

"And you will; but not now.  I'll do the preliminary work and once I've checked it out, you can investigate.  Okay?"

"Yeah…okay."

Having sensed his tension before the meeting, Storm planned ahead to do some things that would take Logan's mind off the mission and bring a little satisfaction back into his life.  

"Will you do something for me now?" she asked in a romantically inquiring voice.

"Whuzzat Storm?"

"**Whuzzat Storm**???  There is absolutely nobody around for miles and you still call me Storm.  Can't we be a LITTLE more informal?"

"Okay…whuzzat Ro?"

"Logan!" she snapped - as if he knew exactly what she was talking about – which he did.

"Alright already!  Whuzzat…_Snowflake." he said in a somewhat softer voice.  __Snowflake was his special name for her and she loved it when he used it because he was always in a good mood.  He gave it to her during the winter season when the X-Men were engaged in one of Cyclops' training sessions – something everybody else decided to turn into a friendly snowball fight.  She laughed a sigh of relief, which lead to a grunt and a smirk from him.  With her continued smile, he started smiling, then held her closer._

"I brought your guitar.  Will you sing to me?"

"I ain't in the mood ta be singin' right now Ro."

"Pleeeease" she said in her most affectionate voice…the one he could never resist.  "Here I am at this beautiful lake surrounded by these beautiful trees and these beautiful mountains with the man I love and he doesn't want to sing to me."

"You don't want me to sing to you right now Ro, I…"

"Please, pretty please." she said, her fingers rubbing his chest and running along his hair.

"All right…he said, knowing full well he lost the battle right after she asked him to sing.  "But um in a _blues kinda mood."_

"That's okay, I just want to hear your voice.  You've barely touched your guitar since we came to California."

As she walked back to the car, he couldn't help but notice her swagger.  She intentionally overemphasized her walk  - giving her a highly seductive look.

"That's quite a HITCH in yer GET-ALONG!" he yelled as he whistled at her.  She turned around and winked at him.  She could tell his mood was already starting to change.  

She pulled an old, haggard acoustic guitar case out of the trunk of her car.  The case was due to be replaced, but it and the guitar inside were remnants from Wolverine's past.  He didn't even remember knowing how to play it until he found it at the cabin where he buried Silverfox.  It was covered with dust sitting in a corner but was still in relatively good condition.  Logan took it back to the manufacturer - _Pimentel out of New Mexico - to get it restored and see if anyone remembered whom the guitar was sold to.  Though each guitar was numbered, the owner – who had now expanded the very popular business to "__Pimentel and Sons" - couldn't remember who purchased it.  The only lead he could give Logan was that it was sold some time between 1952 and 1953.  Though the lead didn't amount to anything, Lorenzo Pimentel decided to restore the guitar for free.  It was a momento of a period long gone…from the first couple years of his business.  That, coupled with the story of how Logan came across it and what it meant to him, convinced Lorenzo to take on the task as a gift.  When he got it back he was amazed at how well it looked and played – and at how well he played it.  Though no particular song came to mind, it was obvious he knew how to play it – and how to play it well at that.  _

The discovery of the guitar told him that he played, but he didn't know (or care) about singing.  It wasn't an issue until he started dating Storm.  Occasionally on their wilderness outings, he would let his musical talent show by strumming a few notes for her – some romantic, but mostly blues.  On one occasion she asked him to sing.  He responded with a resounding grunt.  "I take it that's a 'no?'" she inquired.  "That's a **HELL NO**!" he responded.  It wasn't until she told him she thought he was AFRAID of singing that he actually barked out a few lines – something she very much regretted.  But after a bit more sweet-talking, she convinced him to continue in a softer tone.  Although he opted to keep his day job, he actually became pretty good at it – good enough to please Storm at least. 

The first song he played was true to form – blue and sad.  It was called "Six Strings Down" – a tribute to all of the great blues singers that had died.  Though it was a sad song, Storm's idea worked out really well.  Singing had taken his mind off the mission and he was now thinking about other things; which pleasantly surprised her when his next song was "_Pride and Joy_" by _Stevie Ray Vaughn_.  It was the perfect mixture of manliness and brawn with enough romanticism to satisfy nearly any woman.  It had also come to be one of Storm's favorites.  She normally went for the smoother sounds of jazz, but ever since Logan introduced her to the intricacies of blues, she really took a liking to the more popular blues artists.  She particularly became familiar with Stevie Ray Vaughn because he was one of Logan's favorites and he often sang his songs.  Vaughn's songs were a bit more upbeat and his voice was almost as rough and raspy as Logan's.  She loved the passion in Logan's voice when he sang it to her.  She knew it was something he did just for her and knew it came from the heart.

_You heard about love giving sight to the blind_

_My baby's loving causes the sun to shine_

_She's my sweet little thang_

_She's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby_

_I'm her little lover boy_

_I love my baby with my heart and soul_

_A love like ours will never grow old_

_She's my sweet little thang_

_She's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby_

_I'm her little lover boy_

_I love my baby long and lean_

_You mess with her, you see this man gettin' mean_

_She's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby_

_And I'm her little lover boy_

_I love my baby like the finest wine_

_I'll stick with her until the end of time_

_She's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby_

_And I'm her little lover boy_

_I love my baby with my heart and soul_

_A love like ours will never grow old_

_She's my sweet little thang_

_She's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby_

_I'm her little lover boy_

They spent the rest of the night together at Lake Berryessa before heading back to Davis early the next morning.  The time with Storm did Logan a world of good – he felt a lot more focused and was ready to attack the mission from a fresh perspective.  

No matter what mood Logan was in, Storm could always make him feel better.  The one thing that bothered her though was what brought him down in the first place.  She knew that he was at times a moody person, but there was almost always a reason for it.  Every now and then he just needed to blow off steam – usually when Cyclops did something that rubbed him the wrong way; but these slow-boiling moods were usually brought on by something big.  She'd known him long enough to know that when he sensed something but didn't know what it was, something bad was about to happen.


	6. Not Again...

Do I look like a happy flamin' camper?

The next day Logan and Hank headed back to Merced to examine Lisa.  They arrived a little after 7am – much to Beast's chagrin.  Beast requested they leave at a reasonable time, something like 9 o'clock or at least after a decent breakfast could have been eaten (along with second and third servings); but Logan had it stuck in his mind that an early start was prudent.  He really wanted to see Lisa again and make sure she was doing okay.  

**YAWN**

"Tell me again why we had to get such an early start Wolverine?" Beast said as he finished off his Venti Double Mocha.  "Couldn't we have at least stopped at that IHOP a couple miles back for a proper morning start?  Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day you know."

"Quit yappin' or I'll give ya a proper mornin' SET-TO!  This is important – we gotta make sure Lisa's okay.  That takes priority over yer stomach; which I heard growlin' all the way down here…"

"Fine Logan – but YOU'RE treating for lunch!"

The hospital was just starting to come alive with activity when they reached the front desk.  

"We're here to visit Lisa Johnston.  Can you tell us which room she's been moved to?" Logan asked.

"She's in east-212.  Go down this hall, turn left then half way down you'll see an elevator.  You can take it to the second floor.  Room 212 is just to the left of the elevator when you come out." the nurse at the desk kindly responded.  

"Thankya ma'am."

They followed her instructions and headed for Lisa.  As soon as they entered the elevator, Logan picked up the scent of something he wished he hadn't. 

**Sniff Sniff** 

"Shit!"

"What is it Logan?"

"Lisa's got a visitor.  Damn!  Can't this flamin' thing go any faster?"

As soon as the doors opened, Logan bolted out and ran to room 212.  He turned the corner only to face an orderly making the bed of an empty room.

"Who are you and where the hell is Lisa?" he yelled as he pointed at the orderly.

"Um…I'm just an orderly sir.  The woman that was here was just transferred to another hospital.  They left just a couple minutes ago."

"What hospital?"

"I…I don't know sir – they didn't tell me.  But they're probably still here – they rolled her out just before you walked in.  Try Outpatient – take the staircase at the end of the hall…it dumps out right there."

"C'mon Hank – we gotta kidnappin' ta stop!" Logan yelled as he rounded the corner and headed for the stairs.

They came out just in time to see Lisa on a gurney and a man opening the rear doors of an ambulance in an attempt to put her in.  Another man was in the process of getting out of the driver side of the van when he spotted Wolverine.

"Hey!" Logan yelled.

"Oh Shit!" the driver responded.  "Get in."

"What about the girl?" the other one yelled.

"Fuck the girl!" he said as he jumped back into the driver side seat and cranked it up.  The other guy barely made it in before the van took off – which was about a tenth of a second before Logan reached them.  He popped his claws out and managed to slice off a good chunk of the bumper, but that would be his only trophy that day.  He chased after the van but as soon as they put their siren on and hit the straightaway, they were gone.

"Wolverine come back!" Hank said.  "We must check on Lisa." who by now was sitting up on the gurney wondering what had just happened.

"Mr. Jacobs – what happened?"

"Those guys weren't from any hospital.  They were here ta kidnap you again."

"He told me he was transferring me to another hospital – a nicer one.  He told me my parents arranged it.  How could you tell?"

"Picked the scent of the one that ra…um, that dumped you on the side o' the road."

"But I would have recognized him.  He wasn't the man that came and got me."

"Musta been the driver…they were close enough.  Ya hang around someone long enough, ya pick up their scent."

"But why would they kidnap me again?  They just let me go."

"They probably been watchin' you – makin' sure nobody put 2 and 2 together about where you were.  Yesterday when I told the cops you weren't no junkie, they started an investigation…that musta made yer buddies in the ambulance nervous.  The probably came back to silence you."

"Thank you Mr. Jacobs." she said as she hugged him.  "Thank you so much!"

"Um…yer welcome Lisa.  Hey – this is my friend; the doctor I told you about"

"Greetings young lady – Henry.  Mr. Jacobs and I have been friends for quite awhile.  He tells me you're a very special young lady. " Beast said.

"Uh…yes…."

"It's good ta see you gettin' yer strength back Darlin'" 

"Yes – I'm feeling so much better than yesterday."

By then a small crowd had formed around them and security guards had come to investigate the commotion.

"Let's get you back inside." Logan said while motioning the guards to help her.

Once they were back in her room, she gave him another hug.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"My mom told me about you.  She told me how you were the only one that took her serious and how she knew by the way you spoke to her that you would find me.  She said there was something different about you – something good.  I think she was right."

"Well thankya Darlin'." he responded with a smile – something that completely surprised Beast.

"Okay – let's take a look at you" Hank said as he opened his medical bag.  While he prepared himself for her examination, Logan asked her if she remembered anything else that might clue them in as to where she was held.  Unfortunately, the only thing she could tell him about was her dreams…about being underwater but not being able to move.

Hank did a myriad of tests – blood, urine, tissue - the whole nine yards.  It took nearly 2 hours for him to complete his sampling.  The time was grueling for Lisa, but she knew it was for her own good.  She also seemed to really trust Logan and that trust was transferred to Hank because of his association with Logan.  After it was all over, Hank sighed a breath of relief.

"I'm sorry that took so long Lisa" he said.  "But we are done now.  I won't have the results until I get back to my lab, but from the looks of things, I'd say you are a pretty healthy young lady.  Your plasma count is low, but that'll change as you build more strength and eat and drink more sustenance.  From what I can tell, there has been no permanent damage."

"Good – then I can go home?"

"I think you should stay in the hospital until I get the full results back and until all the drugs are out of your system.  Then you'll be able to go home.  Logan – can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Hank."

They walked outside the room and started talking.

"What's the problem – something wrong with her?"

"No – she'll be fine; but I'm pretty sure she's been pregnant before.  Was that in her profile?"

"No – no sexual activity at all…right up until she disappeared.  Of course that's what her mother said, but I think she woulda known."

"Well, I'll know more once I get the results back but I'm almost certain she's been pregnant before and that the fetus wasn't carried to term."

"What makes you think that?"

"Intuition.  She's obviously had surgical procedures – there are scars on several parts of her body.  Some of them coincide with a second trimester cesarean."

"You're not talking abortion then…"

"No – removal of a live fetus."

"What are you two talking about out there?" Lisa asked with a bit of concern.

"Should we tell her?" Beast asked Logan.

"We have to – she needs to know."

"Yes, I suppose you're right – it's just so much for her to handle in such a short time."

"Yeah – but we gotta tell her…it's best this way.

They walked back into Lisa's room and prepared her for the news.

"It would appear…um…" Hank started saying with a great deal of difficulty.  "that you've had some surgical experiments done to you.  There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage and I'm sure my lab results will confirm that…"

"But…?" she said in anticipation of some bad news.

"But…um…it looks like you were pregnant at some point within the last year and a half and that your child was surgically removed."

"Pregnant?"

"Yes ma'am, pregnant."

"The heartbeats – they were inside me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Beast curiously asked.

"In my dreams – I kept hearing heartbeats…they must have come from inside me – from my baby?"

"Were you pregnant before you were kidnapped?"

"No…" she said sadly before she started crying.  As the overwhelming fact that someone had kidnapped her and manipulated her body to do whatever they wanted overtook her, the feeling of helplessness became too much for her to bear.  Logan sat on the edge of her bed and held her hand.  When the tears turned into overwhelming weeping, he hugged her.  

"Who did this to me?" she said between sobs.  "Who would do such a think?"

"I don't know Darlin'.  But we're gonna find out – that's a promise you can bank on!"

She grabbed him and hugged him again – a long enduring hug.  She had total control taken away from her for a year and a half and to her; Logan represented getting that control back.  In a grim way, he also represented the frustration she was going through – the year and a half of her life she lost while someone else did whatever they wanted to her.  She hugged him tighter – looking for ways to vent her frustration.  All in all, she hugged him for a good 3 minutes.  In the end, he returned her hug – to let her know that everything would be okay.  He also promised her that the people responsible would be brought to justice.

"Wolverine, we really should get going…I want to get these tests started as soon as possible."

"Yeah, okay."

"But what about those guys" Lisa interrupted.  "What if they come back."

"They ain't comin' back…trust me on that.  They know we know they're after you and they know you already spoke to us.   They won't try anything else, it's too risky.  But ta be on the safe side, we'll get some police out here."

Arranging a police guard was easier done than said.  With the attempted kidnapping, nearly half the Merced police department volunteered to guard Lisa.  Kidnappings (and crime in general) were almost unheard of in such small towns and the response to such activity was usually pretty big.  They put Lisa in a private room on another floor and gave her round-the-clock protection – leaving no doubt in Logan's mind that she would be safe.

Assured that Lisa was now safe, Logan and Beast headed back to Davis.  They both called and asked Bishop to check in on her and make sure she was okay the next time he passed through on his way to southern California.  This really eased Logan's mind because he knew Bishop's vigilance would ensure her safety.  Beast drove back because Wolverine's mind seemed very distant after their visit.  

"Something bothering you Logan?" Beast asked.

"People kidnappin' children…impregnatin' them then cutting out their babies...what the hell is goin' on Hank?"

"I know Logan, but you've seen far worse than this – I think this goes a little deeper than what you've mentioned."

"I don't know Hank…hold on a second." he said as he flipped out his cell phone and started punching the dialpad.  "I gotta make a phone call."

"Hello?"

"Jubes?"

"Wolvie is that you?  Where are you?"

"On the road with Hank – headed back ta Davis.  Everything all right?"

"Yeah – why do you ask?"

"Just curious…okay – I'll talk to ya later.  What say we go get some grub when I get back."

"Sure – when's that?"

"Around 3 or 4."

"Okay Wolvie – I'll be here.  Bye."

"Perhaps that's it Logan.  Perhaps this mission hits a little too close to home?"

"Huh?  Whaddya yappin' about Hank?"

"You see Jubilee in Lisa Johnston.  You think she may disappear as well."

"No – that ain't it…Nothin's gonna happen to Jubilee…"

"You don't know that for sure Logan – we still don't know what we're up against here.  And you do have to admit, you're the closest thing to a father Jubilee has.  Could it be Lisa Johnston reminds you a little too much of Jubilee and your paternal instincts are kicking in?  They look an awful lot alike."

"Just shut up and drive the flamin' car Hank…"  Logan knew Beast was partially right…Lisa had reminded him of Jubilee, and he was feeling a bit protective of her.  In all the missions they'd been on, he couldn't remember too many times when she was the target.  He didn't want to admit it but his fatherly instincts had kicked into overtime and were really starting to bother him.

The rest of the drive back to Davis was quiet and uneventful.  As soon as they got back, Logan immediately changed onto some jeans and grabbed his leather jacket.  Shortly after, he jumped on his scoot and noisily took off.  A few minutes later he pulled up on Oxford Circle in front of Emerson Hall.  With Oxford Circle being the focal point of 3 dorms, all eyes were on him as he noisily parked his Harley.  He knew curiosity had been peaked, but didn't really give a damn.

**knock knock**

"Oh – hello Wolvy!" Tara said

"Don't call me that!" he growled.

"Sorry Mr. Logan.  How are you doing?"

"Lee around?"

"Yeah – she's in her room."

"Hi Wolvie" Jubilee said as she walked out of her room.

"Hey.  Let's go!"

"We takin' off on your scoot huh?  Where we headed."

"Dunno."

"Okay…something bothering you?"

"Nuttin' Darlin'…just hungry.  What say we go to the Outback Steakhouse."

"Sure." she said as they headed out the door.

Logan grunted a slight laugh when he heard two guys walking by say "There goes that babe with that mean-assed short dude."  He turned to them and growled; and almost fell into a belly laugh when they quickly ducked out of sight.

They arrived at the Outback 25 minutes later and quickly settled into dinner.  Logan ordered his usual steak – rare, and Jubilee took the opportunity to chow down on some baby-back ribs – something the dining commons on campus never served.  Half way through dinner, Jubilee questioned Logan again.

"Wolvie, what's bothering you?"

"Huh?  Oh – you seen any strange characters lookin' at you lately?"

"You mean outside the hormone-abundant, intelligence-deficient boys that live in my dorm?  No…nothing unusual."

"You remember what I taught you about keepin' track of yer surroundin's and makin' sure nobody sneaks up on you?"

"Yeah Wolvie…I'm on it.  Why are you so concerned?  Something happen I don't know about?"

"No.  Just being cautious, that's all.  You keep that cell phone with you at all times, got it?  It's got a bug in it."

"That, and the other two make 3.  Geez, with you guys going all crazy, you'd think Apocalypse was after me.  What's got you all weirded out?"

"This case just bugs me – that's all.  Fifty-three missin' kids and only one break in the case."

"There's more to it than that…"

"No there isn't."

"If you say so Wolvie…but I'm telling you I think something else is bothering you."

"Eat yer ribs Jubes!"

"So how do ya like college?"

"Except for that animal husbandry class, I really like it.  The courses are pretty tough but they're interesting.  I really like chemistry."

"What about Ro's class."

"You'd think that since we were friends, she's spare me the torture and give me a good grade right?"

"What flamin' planet you been on?"

"Yeah…what was I thinking?  She's always on me about studying and making sure I do all my assignments.  And whenever I go to her office hours, she starts grilling me with questions from the books and her lectures."

"Heh - that's Ro for ya.  Even in the middle of a mission, she'll make sure ya learn somethin'!"

"I hear you're going to guest lecture next week."

"Yeah – she's talkin' about the military so I thought I'd poke my head in…seein' as how I'm a _'military advisor.'_"

"That oughta be cool, I've never seen you clean shaven and in your dress-greens.  By the time you get to the dorm, your beard has already kicked in and your spikes are already showing.  By the way – thanks to you all the guys in my dorm are afraid of asking me out on a date!  Ya think you could stop growling at them when you visit?"

"Heh – serves 'em right!"  he said as he boasted the smile of a proud father protecting his little girl.

 "Wolvieeee!  C'mon – let me have some fun."

"I guess yer right…you gotta have some fun.  You've earned it too."

"Thank you!  It's funny - they all think I'm some kind of biker chick." 

"Biker chick?  Hah!  You ain't got the tattoos ta be a biker chick…you ain't even got a leather jacket."

"Tattoos?  Hmmm?"

"Get THAT thought outta yer head RIGHT now!" he said as he took another bite out of his steak.

"Hey – I'm 18, if I wanna get a tattoo, there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Now you listen here little girl…" he growled while shaking his fork at her.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Wolvie!  You can't stop me from growing up and you can't stop me from getting a tattoo!"

The words hit him like a ton of bricks…as soon she said them they seeped into his head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he said with a slightly sad face.  "But you'll always by my little girl…" he grumbled in a barely audible voice while staring at his steak.

"What'd you say Wolvie?"

"Nuttin'…"

She smiled.  She heard what he said and was glad he still thought of her as his little girl.  Out of respect for him, she knew she wouldn't get a tattoo…yet.  Though she never called him dad, he had earned his fatherly privileges with all rights reserved, and she almost always took his words to heart.  To her, she had the best of both worlds – a father to take care of and protect her and a friend to talk to when she needed one.  Now if he would stop scaring off potential boyfriends, she might have even more fun.  

She never did get Logan to talk about what was bothering him, but that was pretty common for him.  She knew Storm would eventually get it out of him – or at least make him feel better.  Storm was one of the only people that could ever get him to open up – she also always knew what was on his mind.  

After dinner they rode to Old Sacramento and walked along the banks of the Sacramento River.  He seemed to feel better after that.  He took Jubilee on a long bike ride down past Stockton, around Rio Vista, and eventually back into Davis.  The retrospective ride reminded both of them of the times when she was younger and they went everywhere together.  They pulled back into the dorms a little after 9 – again drawing tons of attention; but at that point they were pretty accustomed to it.  She jumped off the back of his bike and kissed him on the cheek.  She was hoping that once the large number of boys watching saw her kiss him on the cheek, they would pick up on the fact that he was more of a father than a boyfriend and possibly ask her out.  She could feel the eyes on her as she started walking back into Emerson Hall.

"Hey!" Logan yelled.

"Yah Wolvie?"

"You cold?"

"A little I suppose."

"Well here…" he said as he took off his leather jacket and threw it at her.  "That'll keep you warm."

"You're giving me your leather jacket?"

"It's a loan…so don't let anythin' happen to it ya hear?"

She laughed as she put it on.  "Thanks!  It's a lot better than a tattoo!!" she said as she turned around and bounced into the dorm.

*****

"Where's the girl?" the man in the lab coat asked as he walked up to the ambulance that had just parked in the warehouse.  

"We couldn't get her – that short guy came back before we could nab her.  He wasn't very big but MAN did he look pissed."

"You couldn't take him?"

"Well…maybe, I didn't stick around to find out.  Besides – he was with a big dude – and I mean BIG!  He had to be 6 feet., and musta weighed 350lbs!"

"Well if you hadn't screwed up the other night, none of this would have happened.  Why the hell didn't you take her to another city?"

"Well, um…there wasn't time?"

"What are you talking about – there are at least 3 cities within 20 minutes travel time – and more within an hour.  You coulda taken her anywhere."

"Well…Mike had this idea see? And it took about 10 or 15 minutes, and when he was done, she was starting to wake up.  So we left her by the freeway in Atwater."

"Yeah – but they took her to MCMC – that's only 5 or 6 miles away.  Didn't you THINK?"  the man in the lab coat shouted.  "Alright – this is what you're gonna do.  You're gonna scope that hospital out; and if you get another chance – either you nab her or you silence her!  You got it?"

"Yes sir!" the two men said.


	7. Professor Wolverine?

Professor Wolverine?

"Hello Kim" Storm said as Jubilee walked into her office bright and early one morning.

"Hi Professor Montgomery.  Do you have a minute?"

"Sure - come in and close the door."

Jubilee closed the door and sighed a breath of relief.  "Storm I hate calling you Professor Montgomery."

"I know child…hopefully this mission will be over soon.  Though I can't say I'll miss it - it is rather nice living a normal life for a change."

"I know - college is great!  I've met so many people and have had so much fun.  I'm going on a rafting trip this Saturday and my RA is already talking about ski trips this winter at Boreal and Heavenly!  Can you believe it?"

"That sounds like a lot of fun.  But you know Jubilation – college is _also _for learning…what about your academics?  How are they going?" 

"They're going great!  I mean college is kinda hard but after living with you and Frosty - I mean Mrs. Frost - this isn't half bad."

"Have you seen any signs of trouble yet?"

"Nothing.  Wolvie got on my case about being extra careful and making sure nobody was following or spying on me, but I haven't seen anything yet."

"What about your professors?"  

"Two of then know that I'm a mutant…or at least suspect it.  My chemistry professor is pretty pissed at me because I started a small fire in the lab, but at least he knows right?"

"Good job Jubilee, but try not to burn the school down…"

"HAH-HAH Storm." she replied sarcastically. "Very funny!"

"Are you thinking about staying on after the mission?"

"Well, I don't know - I really like college but I think I'd rather go to a university closer to you guys.  I'd miss you to much."

"And we would miss you Jubilation.  We've already missed you so much."

"Really?"

"Yes, the mansion just isn't the same without you.  Your youthful exuberance, your thirst for life…your innocence – they keep us grounded.  When you're around, the entire mansion is a brighter and happier place."

"Thank you Storm." she said as she gave her a hug.  Storm responded with an equally strong and very motherly hug.  

"It is I that should be thanking you Jubilee."

"Say – do you know what's bothering Wolvie?"

"I do not.  Clearly something about this mission has touched a nerve with him, but he won't tell me what it is."

"Dang!"

"Yes, I fear for what might happen when he gets like this…in all honesty, I think he's a ticking bomb."

"He's guest lecturing today in class right?"

"Yes – on the role of the government in the military.  It should be a most-interesting lecture."

"To say the least."

_Later on that day…_

"THAT'S Professor Montgomery's husband???" a tall, athletically built student said to another as he entered the lecture hall and saw Logan in the front of the room.  "He's so short…what could she possibly see in a shrimp like th…?"  He abruptly shut his mouth when Logan shot him a nasty glare from across the room as if he heard everything he was saying.

"I wouldn't say that to his face Joe.  Professor Montgomery talked about him last week in office hours.  She said he's as tough as they get.  He's an expert marksman with ANY weapon and is heavily trained in martial arts!"

"Oh." Joe responded shortly before he chose the seat closest to the door.

"Yeah – she also said he has a bad attitude toward people that ridicule his size.  If he calls you 'Bub' – you better start running."

After everyone settled in, Storm introduced Logan to the class and he took over with his discussion on the role of politics in the military.

_Toward the end of the lecture…_

"…and that sums up the role of politics in the military and the chain of command from the president down to the grunt soldier.  Any questions?"

"Yes Col. Montgomery." Jubilee said from the front row.  "Is it true that you have to call elected officials Sir or Ma'am?"

"Yeah that's right." he said with a bit of angst in his voice.

"Even if they were never in the military?"

"Uh huh." 

"How do you feel about that?"

"Saying "Sir or Ma'am" is second nature to a soldier…makes no never-mind ta most."

"What about you?"

"Me personally?  I think them crybabies in Washington can take their Sirs and Ma'ams and shove 'em up their…"

"Ahem…" Storm interrupted.  Logan started to roll his eyes at her but changed his attitude when he saw the look she shot back.

"…makes no never-mind ta me either." he responded.

"Are you sure?" Jubilee asked…almost whimsically.

"According to my **COMMANDING OFFICER I am." he mumbled as he looked at Storm again.  "Aint that right Ma'am?".  The class erupted in laughter.**

"You – in the back, got a question?" Logan pointed to a student in the last row anxiously waving his hand.

"Yeah Col. Montgomery.  You said you were a Vietnam veteran right?"

"Yeah, I was there…did 2 tours from '66 – '68."

"Ever get hurt?"

"They pulled a good amount o' lead outta my hide."

"Really?  Did you get a purple heart?"

"More like black and blue."

"Did it hurt?"

"More than you could possibly imagine…" he said with a sarcastic expression – trying hard to keep in mind the fact that these students had never been exposed to combat outside what they saw on television and in the movies. "…especially the phosphorus bullets – they kept burning after they hit."

"What did you think about the M-16 back then?" another student yelled out – obviously trying to start a discussion about something.

"You talkin' 'bout the Colt .223 right?  The XM16E1?"

"Yeah – didn't you all have a some problems with it?"

"PROBLEMS?!" he yelled – as if the student's question hit a nerve.  "I was issued one of the first M-16's off the line back in '66.  That piece o' crap jammed on me the second day…and it wasn't just bad luck.  Plenty o' good men died because o' that weapon.  I saw lots o' dead marines with cleaning rods stuck down their barrels tryin' to punch out jammed cartridges.  You call that a flamin' problem sonnyboy?  That's what we in the Corps called political bullsh…stuff."

"No.  No sir – my uncle…he was one of those dead marines.  A buddy of his told my father how he died – how his M-16 jammed on him in a firefight."

"Sorry ta hear that kid…like I said, lots o' good men died – 58,000 of 'em in fact.  Thank the Secretary of Defense for that. Robert McNamara was his name.  He kept blamin' M-16 problems on soldiers not keepin' 'em clean.  Guess there were a whole lotta dirty marines back then huh?  They came out with the FIRST fix fer that weapon late in '67.  Man, that was one lesson in politics we didn't need ta learn!"

"I take it you didn't like the Secretary of Defense?"

"Strange McNamara?  He didn't DESERVE to be called SecDef…and I WOULDN'T have called him Sir if my life depended on it."

"You said 58,000 American soldiers died in Vietnam?"

"Yep – and over 400,000 VC…it was a damn bloody war."

"Ahem!" Storm interrupted.  "We'll be going over the Vietnam War in 2 weeks.  I'm sure I can convince Col. Montgomery to return then and discuss specific issues.  For now, are there any general questions about the role of politics in the Military?"

"I have a question." another student blurted out with a bit of excitement in her voice.  "What do you think about mutants in the military?"

"Don't ask, don't tell!" Logan replied.  Again, the room erupted in laughter.  "Seriously, whaddya mean?"

"Do you think mutant powers should be used to benefit the military?"

"If the mutant is willing…why not?"

"And what if they aren't, but can stop a war?  Should the Government force them to participate?"

"No."

"Not even if it will save lives?"

"That's not saving lives…that's trading lives."

"Yeah but…if one mutant can save the lives of 15 or 20 regular soldiers, isn't that better?"

"Sounds like it's better…unless you're that mutant."

"Yeah but what if that mutant could save more lives…say 100 or 1000?"

"Ok – I gotta scenario for ya kid.  A plague breaks out, kills thousands of people and will probably kill thousands more before they find a cure.  Suddenly someone realizes YOU have the antibodies to kill the plague, but ta get to 'em, they gotta kill you first.  They don't ASK if you want to sacrifice yer life, they just bust in while you're watchin' Scooby Doo and take you to some lab and kill you.  You think that's fair?"

"Well…when you put it that way I guess not."

"Forcing a small portion of the population to serve a larger portion is something we call 'oppression'." he said as he looked at Storm.  "That's what the military fights AGAINST!  No matter how you look at it kid, it's wrong.  You may not think so now, but you walk a couple miles in someone else's combat boots and you'll learn a lot about them…and about yerself.  Any more questions?"  Nobody raised their hand.  "None at all?" Logan asked.  "Anybody here ever think about a career in the Corps?  Again, silence…"What about you in the back by the door?" he said as he looked right at Joe.

"Me?" Joe said with a great deal of surprise.

"Yeah Bub!"  Joe's heart rate shot through the roof.  "You ever think about a career as a Marine?"

"Um…no…I nev…"

"You're a bit squirly, but the Corps will toughen ya up…make a man outta ya."  Joe sank as far in his seat as he could go.

The laughter from the class gave Storm the opportunity to end the session.  Afterward, she talked to Logan and Jubilee.

"I think we may have found a new career for you Colonel." Storm said to Logan.

"Yeah right…not now, not ever."

"Really Colonel…" Jubilee chimed in.  "You're a pretty good teacher.  That is, when your **COMMANDING OFFICER isn't around to keep you quiet."  she laughed.  He growled at her.**

"The class really seemed to respond to you." Storm continued.  "These kids really connected with you – especially when you talked about how soldiers die behind enemy lines while "fat cat" politicians sit up in their country clubs sipping tea and making decisions about people's lives they've never even seen.  They were especially captivated when you showed that video of how today's gun and helmet mounted cameras really make those fat cat politicians see the faces of the soldiers they send into battle.  I think you really reached them."

"Yah, whatever.  Can we grab some grub now?  I got a mean case o' the munchies."

"Take Kim, I have an appointment with Hartford.  He's giving me a tour of his labs today."

"What say Lee?  You up for some grub?"

"Sure!  The Outback?"

"Try KFC drivethru."

******

What do we do now?

"The boss ain't gonna be happy Mike."

"No shit Joe!"

"It wasn't our fault though – that hospital was covered with cops.  We couldn't get anywhere near her.  The receptionist wouldn't even tell us her new room number…even when we told her we were from the florist."

"Yeah – and we can't take her out either…not that I ain't too sad about that.  I didn't sign on to kill people anyway."

"Yeah, I hear you. You think he'll fire us?"

"Nah – where's he gonna find more people willing to support his little kidnapping ring?"

"I don't know Mike.  He's got a nice sized army there already – 30 or 40 at the warehouse, another 10 or 12 out in the field, and plenty of money to hire more…"

"Yeah that's true – but he won't take the chance of us talking."

"You think the girl told the cops anything?"

"Nah – what could she tell them…she didn't know anything."

"I hope you're right because I don't want to run into that short guy again.  He just looked plain MEAN!"

"You ain't lyin' about that Joe.  The way he came after us…you'da thought he was the girl's father or something."

"And that look in his eye  - he looked like some kinda berserker ape!  If he caught us, he would have killed us for sure."

******

Is that thunder I hear?

"Hello Hartford."  Storm said as she walked into his office on the second level of Briggs Hall.  "How are you doing?"

"Just fine Arowlyn.  Yourself?"

"Very well.  My husband just guest-lectured to my class on the role of politics in the military.  It went very well."

"Glad to hear it.  He didn't want to join us?"

"He had a "_mean case o' the munchies_" and took some of the students with him to lunch to talk about the military.  He's also not interested in genetic research – his opinions on it are rather…unfavorable."

"I see.  Well, I hope he one day realizes how important this is to me and how I take the utmost precautions in my research.  I really think it's the key to our future."

"Yes, as we have discussed before…"

"Anyway…" he interrupted before she could object.  "I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying your time here at UC Davis.  It's a wonderful school in a wonderful town.  Hopefully you'll make this your permanent home."

"Hopefully…"

"I'll keep lobbying…despite your views on my research.  Are you ready for your tour?  I want to show you 4 labs today."

"I am ready."

The first 2 labs they went to were in Briggs Hall.  The research and experiments being conducted there centered around developing better agricultural products.  Years before, Hartford's group had succeeded in producing stronger processing fruits:  tomatoes, peaches, and pears…most of the leading canned fruits.  Because of their research, fruit had a much better chance of making it to the canneries without being damaged by the harshness of agricultural practices.  Storm was a little surprised to find out that many of the genetically altered fruits were already (and had been for quite some time) in grocery stores.  She asked Hartford if he was worried about eating genetically altered fruits and he gave her a very effective demonstration by grabbing one of the peaches in the lab sample and eating it in front of her.  He offered a peach to her but she declined.  Eating in a lab room didn't quite appeal to her.

The next two labs were outside Briggs – actually, off the core of campus.  One was in a research facility south of the campus on a compound referred to as "Max Iso" - short for Maximum Isolation.  Hartford told Storm they used labs in max iso because it was cheaper than the core labs and the added security was a large benefit.

"This is the really interesting research here – it's all about discovery."

"Really?  And what are you '_discovering' Hartford?"_

"We're testing various types of animals to see if they are exposed to the same variations mutants are exposed to.  We want to know what other species possess mutant powers."

"Really?  Do you really think animals are capable of that type of mutation?"

"Not all animals, but non-human primates have shown mutant capabilities in several different ways.  Fortunately for us, they aren't smart enough to develop their abilities like we are. 

"What have you discovered so far?"

"Aaaah, NOW my research has peaked your curiosity."

"Hartford!" she said in friendly bantor.

"Okay, we've seen evidence of things that don't require much thought – autonomous functions and natural reactions.  One of the successes we had was when we placed food just outside reach of several primates.  Two of them showed telepathic capabilities.  They were able to move the food with their minds.  We theorize that their desire to reach the food somehow awakened their mutant capabilities."

"How did you know which primates had which abilities?"

"We didn't…that's why it took so long to get these results.  We literally tested thousands of primates.  You'll see them at our primate research facility – the fourth lab on our tour.  This lab houses other animals, but none of their results have been positive.  I brought you here because I wanted to show you that even though we do research, we do our best to take care of the animals."

They quickly viewed the max iso complex because Hartford knew Storm really wanted to see the next lab.  It was located much further outside campus – west of the core.  The facility looked like a prison from the outside – very difficult for the average person to break in – or out.  Hartford explained that because they used non-human primates in their research, they were often the target of animal rights activists.  For that reason, security was a lot heavier there.  They walked in past several security measures and had to change into a set of scrubs before entering the actual lab area.  Once in, Storm was amazed at the physical size of the facility and how much was actually going on.  She was also a bit unnerved at seeing all the animals caged the way they were. She tried to keep it in check, but the soft roar of thunder echoing in the distance was clear evidence that she was bothered.

Hartford was right about one thing, he had taken every precaution and tried to make the animals as comfortable as possible.  Their cages were oversized compared to normal ones, and there were several recreation rooms – rooms designed to give the animals exercise and a sense of normalcy.  Though comfortable, the bottom line however was that they were still caged animals.

"This is the heart and soul of my research." Hartford said with a proud smile.

"All these caged animals Hartford.  How can you stand to work here?"

"Arowlyn, I've been in research so long that it doesn't bother me anymore.  I see the value of it.  Sure, when I started out it bothered me, but I made the distinction between research subject and pet a long time ago.  This really is for the greater good of mankind.  And as you can see, the animals are treated very well."

"Yes, but even the nicest of prisons is still a prison."

"Arowlyn, surely someone as smart as yourself knows the value of animal testing.  We'd still be in the dark ages of medicine if it weren't for research like this."

"I know…but this is the reason I got out of research.  This is the stuff that drove me away."

"Wait till you see our results.  You won't think so then!  Oh – and I want you to meet somebody."

They both walked over to another section of the primate center through a very thick and intimidating door.  On the other side were several more cages and lab rooms and what seemed to be an observation deck.  Hartford led Storm to the observation deck where another man was working.

"Arowlyn, I'd like you to meet Robert Benson, Ph.D.  Robert, this is Arowlyn Montgomery…also a Ph.D."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Arowlyn.  Hartford has told me so much about you.  How do you do?"  Robert said as he shook her hand.

"Quite fine, and thank you.  The pleasure is all mine." she responded.

"Robert is the head researcher under me.  With his help, we've discovered some amazing things."

"Such as?" Storm inquired.

"Well…come this way, I have something really exciting to show you." Robert said.

They left the observation deck and walked into a lab room that had a lot of testing equipment.  

"This…" he said while turning a monitor on and displaying a petrie dish with some sort of skin culture in it. "this is a skin sample from a mutant primate that has the ability to protect itself by putting up some sort of psychic shield."

"How did you find that out? Storm inquired"

"Quite by accident.  We let the animals have several hours of free time together each day.  One day one of our assistants put Daisy – the one I got this sample from – in with Drusilla and a few others.  Daisy is a rather timid ape.  Drusilla is not.  She started showing her dominance over Daisy and ended up getting into a fight.  We could hear the screams throughout the entire complex.  By the time we got to the observation deck, we saw that Drusilla was trying to get at Daisy but Daisy had put up some sort of shield.  Until then, we didn't know Daisy had any mutant abilities at all.  Now take a look at this."

With a few keystrokes, a light came on under the petrie dish and the skin sample lit up.  Shortly after that, a small laser was activated and guided toward the skin sample.  Everyone could see the laser cutting a shallow groove through the base that the petrie dish laid on, but as soon as it got to within a couple millimeters of the skin sample, it arced and went right over the dish; never touching the skin.  Once it reached the other side of the dish, it continued to cut the shallow groove into the base plate.  

"That's amazing!" Storm said.

"Yes." Hartford proudly said.  "We've found that by using certain frequencies, we can stimulate mutant cells to activate their powers.  It's really amazing.  We're close to figuring out how mutants call upon their unique abilities.  Once we've thoroughly cracked that code, we'll be able to activate other mutant powers.  Can you imagine what we can do to help humanity once we figure this out?  The possibilities are endless!  We still have a lot of work to do though.  It took us nearly 8 months of research to come across the right frequency for Daisy.  But now that we know more about it, we anticipate less time for other animals."  The thunder outside seemed to get louder at that point.

"Have you done any human testing?"

"We had several volunteers and have made quite a few skin grafts, but nothing has developed yet.  The human brain is so complex that we may not discover the right frequencies for years.  But this is so promising that we're willing to wait!"

"Can I see the place you do your human research?" Storm inquired.

"I'm sorry, I can't show you that area." Hartford responded.

"Why not?"

"Two reasons, one:  it's offsite, and two:  to protect the identity of those participating in my research.  Besides Arowlyn, I still don't know you very well.  You may be one of those research saboteurs." he said jokingly.

"Hartford!  You know me better than that."

"Well, you can never be too sure…"

"You think I'm capable of sabotage?  I'm capable of many things, but sabotage is not one of them."

"Well, I'm sure I'll discover that as we get to know each other….over the years hopefully."

"Again with the lobbying?"

"Until I get you to stay!.  Would you and your husband like to have dinner tonight?"

"I can't speak for him, but I'd love to."

"Great – how about Café Italia at 7?"

"Sure.  I'll do my best to drag Logan along."

"We're still on for racquetball tomorrow morning right?"

"Yes."

Hartford and Robert showed Storm the rest of the compound.  It was a very lengthy and detailed tour.  Hartford hoped that by giving her the tour, she would change her mind about the value of his research.  Unfortunately for him, her mind remained unchanged – and the weather remained poor.  She complimented him on the level of comfort and care he'd provided for all his research animals, but that's where the compliments ended.  The work was very interesting, but the driving force behind it was still the same – the exploitation of mutant abilities and rights…that was paramount.  She also really hated seeing nature's creatures locked up the way they were.  She remained silent as Hartford drove her back to her car.  He made a comment about the sudden thunderstorm that came up, but she was to far in thought to hear it.

******

Beast gave Logan his finished report on Lisa Johnston – neither was happy with what he discovered.  Lisa had definitely been pregnant sometime within the last year.  What happened to the child, nobody knew.  Logan took the report and went back to Merced to present it to Lisa and her family.  It was her last day in the hospital and he wanted to talk to her before she went home.  He arrived there about an hour before she was set to be released.

"Mr. Jacobs!" Lisa yelled as she gave him a hug.

"Hey Lisa.  Howya doin?"

"I'm glad I got to see you before I went home.  I'm doing fine – thanks to you.  Nobody else tried to kidnap me…not since my GUARDIAN ANGEL showed up!"

"Hah, I've been called a lotta things before, but nobody ever called me an angel."

"Well you're an angel to me!" she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I think somebody has taken a liking to you Mr. Jacobs." Lisa's father said.

"TWO somebodies" Janice added while giving Logan a hug.  "Not only did you FIND our daughter, you also protected her from being taken from us again.  We're never letting her out of our site again!  We have our Lisa back and it's all because of you.  We'll never be able to thank you enough."

"Seein' y'all together as a family is thanks enough.  But if ya wanna go beyond that, I'm partial to lasagna."

"You'll have lasagna coming out your ears Mr. Jacobs!!  When you first came to my door, I knew there was something good about you.  You seemed to really care about finding Lisa.  You seemed to really care about her period – as if she were YOUR daughter you were looking for.  I don't know why, but for some reason I knew you would find her.  I knew you were the answer to our prayers."

"Thankya Mrs. Johnston."

"Please…call me Janice.  You'll be receiving birthday and Christmas gifts and cards from me for the rest of your life!  We should be on a first name basis."

"Okay - Janice it is…"

They sat and talked about what he discovered regarding the case for the next hour or so. He explained to them how they had broadened their search to encompass the entire state of California and had come up with a number of missing students similar to Lisa.  With her help, they were closer to figuring out what happened to the others.  Logan traced the license on the ambulance but it turned up stolen.  Whoever was behind the kidnapping did a damn good job at covering their tracks.  

Next Logan went over each detail of Beasts tests.  Basically there was no permanent damage to her body.  There were several incisions from who knows what type of experimentation but they were all done by someone with surgical experience and designed to eventually yield a complete recovery.  She had been pregnant at some point, but not carried to term.  The child was removed by C-section and from Beast's best guess, was probably in its second trimester.  He couldn't tell anything else about the baby other than the C-section took place more than 5 months prior.  

They also discussed a visit from Storm.  Logan told Lisa that Storm would help her come to terms with her newfound abilities and was also a great person to talk to about the trauma she'd recently gone through.  He told Lisa how Storm helped him out of several bad situations and was always there when he needed a friend to talk to.  By the end of the conversation, he had talked Storm up so much they were very excited to meet her.  He promised she'd contact her soon – first by phone, then with a visit sometime in the coming weeks.  He then reassured the family that he would find the person or people that kidnapped Lisa and bring them to justice.  

After a final hug and kiss from Lisa and Janice, Logan headed back to Davis.  On the way back he saw the location of where Lisa was found.  He pulled off at the next exit and circled back to the frontage road to investigate it.  Though it was very faint, he could still smell traces of where Lisa was dumped on the road.  Picking up her scent reminded him of when he first saw her and detected the unknown chemicals on her body.    As the memories of that first sight became more dominant in his mind, the anger in him started to build.  

He started walking back to his HMMWV when the wind picked up.  That's when he picked up the faintest trace of chemicals in the air.  The wind was erratic and short, and didn't give him enough to trace the scent, but it definitely peaked his curiosity.  Upon pulling out a map of the area, he quickly surveyed the town and it's surrounding areas.  There weren't too many facilities around that could deal with a large amount of chemicals, and finding the ones that did might be good place to start looking.  There was a community college about 6 miles away, a food processing plant, a fruit processing factory, and an airstrip - all within 3 miles.  There was also a refinery about 8 miles out.  If the quantity of chemicals was large enough, any one of the locations could have housed them.  

Logan drove around the area for just over an hour trying to locate the source of the smell, but because the wind was so erratic, he never got a solid lead.  At one point it seemed like he was driving in circles.  He finally decided to do more research on the area and headed back to Davis to compare notes with Bishop.  On his way back he called Storm to see how she was doing.

"Hey Ro…"

"Hi Logan, how are you doing?"

"Five by five…got some news, Um headed back ta Davis right now.  I'll be there in a bit."

"Good.  I can't really talk right now.  I'm with company."

"Company?"

"Yes, I'm having dinner with Hartford and one of his colleagues – Robert Benson.  Say – would you like to join us?  We're at Café Italia."

"I don't think so…wouldn't make good company tonight.  I'll seeya when ya get home."

"Okay Sweetie, bye."

"That was your husband I take it?" Hartford asked.

"Yes."

"Will he be joining us tonight?"

"No – he's had a long day.  He's pretty tired."

"That's too bad."

"What does your husband do?" Benson inquired.

"He's a liaison between the military and local governments in California.  In his spare time, he watches over the ROTC programs here and at CSUS."

"He sounds like a busy man."

"Very.  He's been traveling between the valley and the bay area for the last couple of weeks.  I keep telling him to get a hotel room but he tells me he misses me too much."

"Aaawl." both Benson and Hartford said together in a joking manner.

"He's the best husband a woman could ever have." she replied to their banter.

"For him to attract a woman like you, I would imagine he'd have to be." Hartford said with a wink. She returned his wink with a smile – one that let him know exactly how happy she was to be married to Logan.

"I see my winning charm is working on you." 

"And just what do you mean by that?" Storm asked.

"You haven't gotten on our cases once all evening about our research.  I think I'm starting to win you over."

"Like I said Hartford…It's your research I don't agree with, not you.  I find you to be a very pleasant person.  In fact, I think that once I convince you to END your research, our friendship will really blossom."

"Hah!" Benson blurted.  "Get HIM to stop his research?  He's the most dedicated man I've ever seen.  There are times when he'll go to Site B and I won't see him for DAYS!"

"Really?" Storm inquired.

"What can I say?  I'm a very dedicated scientist.  I believe that my research will usher in a new era for humanity; and unlike YOU, I think that this will lead to BETTER mutant relations."

"Oh?"

"Once non-mutant humans see how mutants can contribute to society and significantly improve it, I think people will come around and be a lot friendlier.  I mean, it's very difficult to hate someone that helped cure cancer or AIDS or many other horrible diseases.  This will be a catalyst for a cohesive society."

"I understand what you are saying Hartford, but I still think it is unwise.  I don't think the world is ready for this type of research.  I don't know if it will ever be."

"Only time will tell my intelligent political friend, only time will tell."

They ended the evening on a pleasant note.  The three set up another lunch date and Storm told Hartford and Benson that she would try to get Logan to join them.  Hartford also set up a few more racquetball sessions and a trip to San Francisco for Logan and Storm so he could show them the sights of Northern California.  It was becoming increasingly difficult for Storm to keep her objective distance because she sensed Hartford was a good person who was genuinely interested in a friendship with her; but she knew he wasn't above suspicion regarding the mutant disappearances.  Friendship – true friendship – was something very hard to come by - especially for a mutant, so it was always a welcome site when one like that between her and Hartford developed.

******

"Storm?" Logan asked as he walked into the house.  

"Up here Logan!" she yelled from the upstairs bedroom

"We need to round up the…" **sniff sniff**  "What's that smell?" he asked as he neared the bedroom.

"What?"

"That smell!  What is it?" he asked again – this time in a more abrupt voice.

"What smell?  I don't smell anything."

He searched the room and zeroed in on the closet.  After yanking the doors open, he quickly identified the source – Storm's blazer; the one she wore that day.

"That chemical on your coat.  It's the same smell we talked about before – the one I got from Lisa when they found her."

"That's the coat I wore today when I toured Hartford's labs.  I must have picked it up there."

"Which lab?"

"We toured several, but the most probable one was the primate center."

**Snikt**  "Get dressed – we're gonna take a private tour of this so-called primate center – and you aint talkin' me out of it this time."  

"I agree…I didn't find what I was looking for today – we need information on Site B." she replied – much to Wolverine's surprise.  She quickly dressed and prepared to go back to the lab.

Before leaving, Logan filled her in on what he suspected in Atwater.  He thought Lisa might have been held somewhere in the area but couldn't get more specific because the scent was so faint.  Storm called Bishop and told him to collect information on the area and see if there were any possible locations that might fit what they were looking for.  Bishop had a knack for getting even the most classified information without suspicion, so he was a natural for the task.  He never explained how he was so good at it, but on missions like this one – nobody cared…they just wanted the information.  His intel was always legitimate and extremely accurate.  With him researching the Atwater area, Logan and Storm headed for the primate center.  

*****

Monkey Business

It was a little after midnight when they arrived.  They parked a couple miles from the primate center and Storm flew Wolverine the rest of the way.  That kept them from being detected by any of the security measures as the approached.  Once in range, they landed and hiked in to the compound through the wooded area around the center.

"This is as far as you go Ro."

"What?  But I've been inside – I know the layout."

"You're also pretty identifiable – even with yer mask on and yer hair tucked away like that.  With my holo-emitter off, I'm not.  Just give me the run-down on the inside and I'll be fine."

"Okay Logan, but be careful."

She gave him all the information she had about the primate center and he got started.  He kept a radio with him so he could stay in touch with her if anything happened.  About a half an hour later, he radioed her and told her he was inside.

"How did you get past the outside security measures?"

"You don't wanna know.  Where's the observation deck?"

"Where are you?"

"Northwest corner – storage facility."

"I didn't go to that area, but I'm pretty sure there's a hallway that leads to a large door.  Take it – if I'm right, it'll come up on the opposite side of the main lab."

"I see it – then what?"

"If you can get past that door, there will be a staircase that leads to the observation deck."

"Dunno Storm – I may have ta cut my way into…wait a minute…okay I'm in.  Hah – I guess yer friend Hartford ain't too worried about security once you get INSIDE.  The door wasn't even locked."

"Good – the observation deck is upstairs."

"I'm there.  The deck has a coded lock on it though.  You wouldn't happen to remember the code would you?"

"No – he stood in front of it when he opened it today."

"Hold on.  It's a manual push-key – 5 keys.  I think I can get past it."

After several minutes of silence, he radioed in.

"Got it. – had ta do a whole lot of listenin' to the tumblers, but I'm in."

"Now you see…had I come, you would have been inside in half the time…you know I have a way with locks."

"So do I – just not as delicate as yers…" he snickered.  "Okay, I'm looking at the computers…let's see what I can find."

"Any clues?"

"Too much data – it'll take to long to sift through it all – I'll just download it all to disks."

 "Good."

After downloading as much data as he could, Logan left the observation deck and took a look around the compound.  He inspected several lab rooms, several animal areas, and several storage rooms but didn't find anything significant.  He found the chemical that he smelled on Lisa, but it was just in the storage area.  It was a substance called bio-fill and the center had a significant quantity of it, but nothing there alluded to any missing mutants.

"Logan, are you about done?" Storm asked.

"Yeah.  I ain't found a flamin' clue."

"Well get out…it looks like someone is coming in to do some late night work."

"Copy – I'm headed out right now…ETA 10 minutes."

"You leave any tracks?"

"Nothin' anybody'll find."

Eight minutes later, Logan caught up with Storm.  He was in a pretty foul mood.

"What's that smell?" she asked.

"You DON'T wanna know." Logan grumbled.

"It's vile!"

"There was only one way inta that place without trippin' any sensors – the one inlet that security overlooked…through the flamin'…"

"Let me guess – the sewage system?"

"Yah."

"So that horrible smell is…"

"Yeah Storm, it's ape shit."  Storm tried her best not to laugh.

"You know you're walking home right?"

"Grrrrrr"  

"But I'll help you out; I'll take those disks off your hands for you so you won't have to carry them all the way home."

"You can take these disks and shove 'em where the sun don't shine!"

"I'd love to Dear." she giggled. "Does it involves apes?" she said as she snagged them and flew back to the car.

_Later, back at the house…_

"HEY – LET ME IN!" Logan said from behind the 3-inch opening the chain lock on the door permitted.  

"Did you shower yet?"

"WHERE THE HELL AM I GONNA FIND A SHOWER?!  The key ta being undercover is not being detected!"

"I love you Logan, but you are NOT coming in here smelling like…ANIMAL FECES!  There's a hose out back with a spray gun and 2 bars of soap."

"You're killin' me with compassion Ro."

"And you're killing me and Henry with your…scent.  Now, to the back yard…and put your clothes in the bucket – and LEAVE them there."

Storm wouldn't let him in until he started on the second bar of soap.  Wolverine wondered why with him being the one with the superhuman sense of smell, she was the one that could still smell the ape shit.  She assured him that it was simply a matter of not being able to smell one's own scent.

"You find anything on them disks Ro?" Logan asked when he was finally permitted to come in.

"Beast is looking at them right now – so far he's found nothing unusual."

"What say Beast?  You tellin' me I crawled through ape shit fer nuttin'?" he said, walking into the library where beast was pecking away on a keyboard.

"So far it looks that…geez Logan – you could at least put some clothes on!"

"I ain't got nuttin' you ain't seen before…and Storm never complained!"

"He's not the shy type Henry." Storm said as she brought him a robe and a beer – the very least she could do after what she put him through.

"I'm sorry Storm, Wolverine" Beast said while turning around and refocusing on the data in front of him.  "These disks have nothing on them related to the missing mutants.  I found tons of information about site B, but everything seems on the up and up."

"What about the identities of the mutants used in the experiments at site B?" Storm asked.

"Yeah – they're here…I've already cross-referenced them with the names of the missing mutants.  None of them match."

"Damn!" Logan grunted.

"Just because we didn't find anything doesn't mean the night was wasted Logan.  Even a lack of information is information.  Maybe Hartford isn't involved in this."

"You gotta be kiddin' Storm!  Most of the mutants disappeared from THIS campus.  He's doing genetic experiments involvin' mutants on THIS campus.  There's a whole storehouse fulla that chemical I smelled on Lisa in a complex that HE is in charge of.  Everything points ta him.  Just because he likes you and wants ta be your friend doesn't mean he ain't involved in this!"

"I hear what you are saying Logan, but it might not be him – what if it's someone else?  It could be one of Hartford's associates.  I just met Robert Benson today.  We don't know anything about him or what he's capable of.  I say let's investigate the people associated with Hartford and see where it leads."

"Whatever Ro.  But I'm keepin' my eye on yer pal Hartford."

"As well you should."

"Well!" Beast said with a sigh.  "It being 3:30am – a mere 4.5 hours before I have to be on campus, I think I'll head back to my humble abode."

"Good night Beast." Storm said while walking him to the door.

"You'll keep me apprised on any new developments?"

"Yes."


	8. Paradise Lost - the kidnapping of an X-M...

Paradise Lost

**"THE REC HALL WILL CLOSE IN 15 MINUTES!" a boisterous voice announced over the intercom.**

*_It's a Saturday night and I should be out partying and living it up like every other college student, but all the cute guys in my dorm are afraid to ask me out!* Jubilee said to herself while she nearing the 4 mile mark of her jog around the Rec. Hall.    *"__Oh – there's the babe with that mean-assed short dude!" they say – like he'd really hurt them!  Well, he probably would.  But still – have some balls for cryin' out loud!  I can't believe I'm here working out on a SATURDAY NIGHT because those WIMPS don't have the guts to ask me out!  And what about those frat guys in class!  Sure they'll ask me out but it's obvious what's on their minds!  Like I'm supposed to be impressed by their fancy cars and bank accounts and give it up to some egotistical spoiled brats just because they said I was cute!  Get real!*  _

She finished her last lap and headed for the locker room.  *_Man, this place is like a ghost town on Saturday nights!  Besides the employees, I think I'm the only one still here!  Or should I say the only one without a DATE tonight?  Well, at least I got a good workout, and I'll have time to get some studying in for Storm's test.  Ya think she'd cut a mutant some slack, but nooooo…she's gotta be extra tough on me.* she said while changing clothes._

She heard the door to the locker room open, then the lights went out. "HEY! I'm still in here!" she yelled.  "I've got 10 more minutes!"  *_Damn Rec. Hall flunkies – my tuition pays their salaries and they wanna skip out 10 minutes early!  Luckily I can shed some light on the subject.*_

Just as she lit up the room, she turned and saw a large man approaching her.  He was dressed in a Rec. Hall uniform, but given his demeanor; it was pretty obvious to Jubilee that he wasn't an employee.

"Hey Girlie…" he said with an arrogant grin.

"GIRLIE?!  You ain't supposed to be in here!" she yelled as she paffed him.  "This is the Ladies' room!" The paf knocked him unconscious and threw him back about 8 feet into the shower room.  *"_I gotta call Wolvie and tell him what happened!*"__ she said to herself as she grabbed her phone and started dialing.  *"__He'll want to…"* before she could finish her thought, a large hand grabbed her cell phone and hand.  She spun around to paf the guy that grabbed her but before she could hit him, he grabbed her other hand._

"I'm a bit tougher then him!" he said, motioning toward the guy in the shower.

"Izzatso?" Jubilee responded.  "Are your balls tougher?" she yelled as she gave the 6' man a knee to the groin.  He doubled over in pain and Jubilee turned to run.  As soon as she turned, some sort of aerosol was sprayed in her face and she immediately began feeling strange.  The aerosol temporarily blurred her vision, preventing her from getting out off accurate paf.  Before she could regain her composure, she had already started to fall asleep.  

The last words she heard were "Quick – get her into the laundry basket before somebody sees us!"  Her last thought before she fell asleep was of Wolverine.  She didn't know what would happen to her, but she knew he wouldn't stop until he found her.

_Back at the lab…_

"Did you have any problems?" the lead scientist asked the guards as they rolled Jubilee in.

"Nothin' we couldn't handle…but Mike's gonna need a big bag of ice."

"Was he injured?"

"Nothing he'd want to talk about – but he'll probably need a couple days off to recuperate.  That mutant's a little firecracker!  Sneaking up on her was tougher than we thought.  She knocked Joe out with some sort of energy blast, then gave Mike a knee to the family jewels."

"Yes, she has a very unique power.  As for Mike's family jewels…what kind of soldier gets taken out by a girl her size?"

"Hey Doc – I ain't as bright as you, but one thing I DO know is that when it comes to being tough – size has nothing to do with it.  If she wakes up – you'll have your hands full - trust me on that.  She's tough…and kinda cute too…"

******

Where's my little girl?

"Where's Lee?" Logan asked as Tara opened the door.

"I don't know?  I thought she moved out."  Tara responded.  "I assumed she was with you."

"Moved out?!" he yelled as he pushed past her and ran into the suite.  "She didn't move out!  I talked to her last night and she said she was going to work out!"

"Well I came back from Blackhawke this morning and all her stuff was gone."

By then they had both entered Jubilee's room.  All of her stuff was indeed gone…as if she had suddenly decided to quit school.  Jubilee's roommate hadn't returned from the weekend yet but it appeared as though her stuff hadn't been touched.

"Damn!" Logan yelled.

"She didn't move out?  She's not with you?"

"No!" he growled.  "Who was here last night?"

"Just Kim.  Everybody else went home.  I was the first to return…I came back this morning a little after 9."  The look on Tara's face was one of sheer fright.  The thought of Kim being kidnapped from that very room absolutely terrified her.  Logan was much to focused to notice though, his only concern was Jubilee.  He examined the room for any unfamiliar scents, and although he found lots; nothing could tell him where she was - though one scent in particular alarmed him.  

"Mr. Flamin' Rapist!" he grumbled to himself.  He also detected a very faint trace of the chemical he found in Hartford's lab – as well as a few faint traces of other things:  an anesthetic, gunpowder, and at least 3 people he never smelled before.  

"We got trouble…" he barked into his cell phone.  "Lee's missin'…taken sometime last night."

"What?" Storm yelled.  "Any sign of her?"

"Nothin!  Tell Hank ta get on it NOW.  I tracked her cell phone to a garbage can outside the Rec. Hall but she wasn't around.  She's got 2 more bugs on her – one of 'em's gotta be trackin'!  Tell 'em ta check out Lojack too – her HMMWV wasn't in the parkin' lot and it should be trackin'."

"Will-do.  You've been to her dorm room?  Is it the same M.O. as the others?"

"Yeah, they took everything…there were 4 of 'em.  It happened between 10 o'clock last night and 9 o'clock this morning.  Round up everyone…I'm gonna head fer the university and have a talk with yer boyfriend Hartford."

"Logan, No!  I'll talk…"  

**click**

Before Storm could tell him she would question Hartford, he had already hung the phone up and was headed out the door.  She immediately ran out and headed for the university.  She knew if she didn't get to Hartford's office before Logan, there would be nothing left of him to question.  She immediately took to the air; not caring if anybody found out she was a mutant.  Luckily for her, no one saw.

Logan was almost outside when Tara yelled to him.  When he turned around she saw the blind rage building in his eyes.  For the first time since they met, she feared him.  She knew his rage wasn't focused on her, but she also knew that somewhere out there, someone was about to die.  It was written all over his face.  Someone took his little girl and whoever it was, they were about to pay.

"Wait!  Kim was kidnapped?"

"Yeah."

"Omigod!  We gotta call the police!  We gotta…"

"The police can't help her…They ain't got a clue where she is.  I'll find her!"

"But what if they come back?   What if they decide to kidnap…"

"They ain't comin' back fer you.  They got who they wanted."

"How do you know that?"

"Cuz SHE was targeted…you weren't!" he said as he walked out the door, knocking over the 2 male students that happened to be walking by.  Clearly Tara wanted more answers from him but every second he was there meant wasted time for finding Jubilee.  He jumped on his hog and headed straight for Hartford's office.

_At Hartford's Office…_

"You can't go in there sir!"

"Can it lady – and get outta my way!"

Hartford could hear the commotion from his office and approached the door to investigate but stopped short of opening it.

"But sir – you can't just barge in without an appointment."

**Snikt**  "You wanna bet?"  

Just as Hartford reached for the doorknob, the door blew open, knocking him to the ground.  He barely had time to recover when he found himself face to face with 3 very sharp claws and the pissed-off mutant wielding them.  Before he knew it, Hartford was pinned beneath Logan and was very much at his mercy.  He didn't even have time to question the fact that Logan was a mutant.  

"Where is she?!" Logan yelled!

"Where is who?" Hartford frantically asked.  "Arowlyn?  I…I don't know."

"Not Ro!  Where's the girl – Kim Lee?"

"Who?"

"Bub if you don't start talkin' real fast um gonna slice that terrified look right offa yer face!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hartford pleaded.  "I don't KNOW any Kim Lee!  Please don't hurt me!"

Logan's growl was filled with fury as he picked Hartford up by his collar and threw him against the wall.  He then retracted his middle claw and pinned Hartford to the wall with his two remaining claws pressing tightly against his neck.  After unsheathing all 3 claws on his left hand he drew his arm back – ready to strike.

"You got 3 seconds ta spill it Bub or you'll be spillin' it all over this floor."

"Logan I'm telling you the truth!  I don't know who you're talking about!  I don't know where she is!"

Logan's expression told Hartford he didn't believe him.  The fury in his eyes – that berserker rage that few humans saw and lived to tell about told Hartford that his life was literally seconds away from ending.

"Oh God!" he tearfully said as realized Logan was about to "cut" an answer out of him.  "Please don't kill me…please…"

Logan's roar was so loud and ferocious it could be heard 3 floors down.  The only thing Hartford could do was attempt to cover his face – though he knew it was futile.  Logan took a deep breath as he reared back.  Just as his arm arched, Storm ran in and grabbed it.

"Logan!  No!!!"  she yelled.  Had she been a split second later, who knows what part – or parts – of Hartford's body would have been sliced off.

"He knows where Jubes is and he ain't tellin'!" Logan yelled – still with his arm prepped to strike.  "I'll get it outta him if I have to slice every limb off his body."

"I don't!"  Hartford screamed.  "I don't know where she is!"  The fear in his voice was so high Storm couldn't help but pity him – no matter what crime he stood accused of.

"Logan, let him down.  You can't hurt him."

"He's got Jubes!"

"We don't know that!"

"Yes we do.  This whole mess reeks of him!  How much more evidence do you need?"

"Whether he is or isn't, it's not your place to be his judge, jury, or executioner." Her words made him pause, but Hartford was still in danger and they both knew it.  "Logan." she whispered in a voice so soft yet heart piercing that only she could pull it off.  As she positioned herself between Hartford and Logan's free left arm she touched the side of his face and looked into his eyes.  "This isn't you.  I know you want to find her, but you can't kill him without knowing for sure he did it.  Let him go."

As only she could do, the mere touch of her hand and softness of her voice pacified him.  He could see it in her eyes that she was right and that she too wanted desperately to find Jubilee; but starting the search with a bloody path was definitely not the best way, and deep in his heart he knew that just like himself, she wouldn't stop until Jubilee was safe.

**Snikt**  

The sound of Wolverine withdrawing all 5 claws echoed across the room as Hartford dropped to the ground in relief.

"Thank you Arowlyn.  Thank you so much…" he sobbed.  "I…I don't know what I…" he started to say just as he was again grabbed by his collar and thrown against the wall.  This time he was staring into the white eyes of a very angry Storm.

"HE is not the one to worry about!" she said in a voice that immediately brought back his fear.  "If Jubilee is harmed in any way and I find out you had ANYTHING to do with it – **ANYTHING AT ALL** – you will truly regret the day our paths crossed.  Do you understand me?"

"I swear to you.  I don't know anything about Kim…I mean Jubilee…I - I don't know anything!"  She released him and he tried to regain what was left of his composure.  

"Where is Benson?"

"I don't know?  He took the week off.  He said he needed a break.  What's going on?  Who is Kim Lee?  Do you think he had something to do with her disappearance?" he asked – now that he had the chance to regain his composure and properly assess the situation.

"Hey Bub!  She's the one askin' the questions, not you!  Got it?"

"If someone is missing I want to help find them – especially if it's someone close to you.  What can I do to help?"

"Take us to Site B." she responded.

"Site B?  He's not there, I'd know about it."

"That's where your human-mutant experiments are right?"

"Yes, but there's nothing fishy going on there – I'm there all the time.  I would have noticed even the slightest sign of trouble.  I'm telling you, there's nothing going on there."

"Then where?"

"Um...you know, he's been making a lot of trips to the valley lately.  I remember questioning him about it when I noticed a lot of the charges on our department account coming from down there."

"Down where?" Logan asked.  His curiosity was peaked when Hartford mentioned the valley.

"There were a few charges in Modesto…um, Livingston, and I think there were a few in Merced."

"Merced?  What about Atwater?  Any charges in Atwater?"

"I don't think…wait.  Yes, I remember seeing a charge at a gas station in Atwater.  I remember thinking the charge was odd because it was over $50."

"What's so odd about that?"

"He drives a Toyota Camry.  There's no way it would take over $50 in gas!"

"Maybe he bought food there?  Perhaps a souvenir?" Storm asked

"Not Benson.  He hates gas station food and is way too picky to buy a souvenir from Atwater – it's in the middle of nowhere.  I remember him joking about getting my Christmas present there, but it was only a joke."

"If he was involved in this, why would he use the university account?" Storm asked.  "It would draw suspicion to him." 

"No it wouldn't.  We all do – it's one of the perks of being funded through our grants…a free travel accounts.  We kid each other all the time about it because we always know where we've been driving.  It's only gas…"

"That's gotta be it Ro!  Everything's centered around Atwater.  We gotta get down there now!"

"Shouldn't we call the police?  Shouldn't they be looking for…" Hartford asked.

"Shut it Bub or I'll shut it for you!  Hey - you're comin' with us!" Logan said as he grabbed Hartford by the collar and started walking out with him.  "I still ain't convinced you didn't have anything to do with this, and I ain't lettin' you outta my site."

His receptionist (who hid behind a desk when Logan popped his claws out) started to protest but Hartford told her it was okay and everything was under control – not that she believed him.  Of course the police had already been called, but the three of them were long gone before they arrived.

******

"You found the Lojack and destroyed it? The man in the lab coat asked.

"Yeah – they won't be tracing it." the guard responded.

"Why didn't you just get rid of her truck like you did all the other cars?"

"Are you kidding?  How often do you come across an authentic HMMWV?  This one even had a winch on it!"

"Well I certainly hope you enjoy your toy."

"Oh I will!  You aren't worried about finding that tracking device on that girl from Davis?"

"I've seen them before…they started Lojacking children back in the early nineties…once the device is out, it's not an issue, and we got it out so fast that I'm sure nobody traced her here."

"If you say so…you're the boss.  What about her biker friend."

"I've got bigger things to worry about than some idiot on a motorcycle.  As long as YOU did YOUR job, I won't see him right?  There's no way he can trace the girl back here."

"I did my job – he ain't gonna find this place."

"Good.  Help me get her into the chamber." the scientist said as he turned around and looked at Jubilee – who was lying unconscious on a lab table behind him.  The guard motioned for 2 more guards to help them.

"She kinda looks like the one we got rid of – UCD-4."

"There are similarities." he said as he pulled the sheet off her and did a final inspection of her body.  He did the final preparations and put a SCUBA type mask on her face.  The guards then put her in a chamber labeled UCD-14.  There the youngest X-Man remained…unconscious, helpless, and trapped - submerged in an aquatic prison.  As soon as the lid was in place, the machine flickered to life and the LCD on the front of the tank started recording her vital signs.


	9. A time to kick ass...

Where are my ASS-KICKIN' boots?

By the time Storm, Wolverine, and Hartford reached the house, Bishop and Beast had already arrived.  Bishop was steadily working at the computer and Beast was feverishly typing away at his laptop when the 3 walked in.

"What ya got Hank?  Ya know where she's at yet?" Logan asked.

"No.  The primary tracking device isn't responding."

"What?  Why the hell not?"

"It's probably already been detected and removed."

"What kinda kidnapper looks fer bugs?"

"The kind doing medical experiments – they probably scanned her for synthetic medical devices like pacemakers and artificial organs."

"What about the backup…the one with that Shiar crap in it?"

"She's already out of range of my current search parameters.  I am setting up new ones as we speak.  Because of its material, it is not detectable by conventional means, so I'm sure they haven't located it yet.  Unfortunately that also means I have to work twice as hard to pick up its signal."

"You get anything on Lojack?"

"No."

"Shit!"

"If they found the tracking device I planted on her, they most certainly checked for others – including her personal effects and vehicle."

"Shit!"  Logan barked at Hank - immediately inducing him to speed up his work.

_A few minutes later…_

"There - I've got it!" he responded.  "My stars and garters!" 

"What?" everyone said in unison.

"I've narrowed it down to about a 20 square mile area.  She's somewhere in the San Joaquin Valley between Merced and Livingston.  That's where Logan and I were not too long ago when we visited Lisa."

"CASTLE AIR FORCE BASE!" Bishop yelled as he turned around to face the group.

"That abandoned base in Atwater?" Logan asked.

"Yeah – that's gotta be where Jubilee is.  It's the only place in range where they could hide a facility; and this satellite photo shows activity where there shouldn't be."

"Satellite photos?  How did you get access to a satellite?"  Storm inquired.

"I have my ways.  Take a look.  These hangers by runway 34 on the southern side of the base show activity.  So does this warehouse.  That entire section is supposed to be empty."

"Why?"

"The base was purchased lock, stock and key but no permits have been filed – there shouldn't be anything going on there right now."

"Who purchased it?"

"Haven't found that out yet – I'm still sifting through corporations and subsidiaries; but I'm positive that whoever we find there will be able to give us more answers than I can find anywhere else."

"I'm with Bishop.  Let's go!  Who knows what they've done ta Jubilee by now." Logan yelled.

"I'll notify Scott, he can get a team here within 5 hours.  Since we do not know what we're up against, we should have reinforcements."

"I ain't waitin' fer Cike ta get his sorry ass here.  I can be down there in less than 2 hours!" Wolverine snapped.  

**SNIKT**

"…and what WE'RE up against doesn't concern me.  Whoever took Jubilee better think about what THEY'RE up against!"

"We can go now Logan, but listen to me; if we go in – I'm in command!  Do you understand that?"

"Yah Ro, let's go."

"We can get there faster if we take my plane?" Hartford interrupted.

"What?" Storm inquired – a little surprised.

"Look - if someone's life is at stake, I want to help; and if Benson is involved and it relates to my research – which apparently you believe it does - I SHOULD do what I can right?  I have a small plane here – it can seat all of us.  I also have a pilot's license…I can…"

"We'll take his plane." Logan snapped.  "But I'm flyin' it!"

"Do you know how to fly?" Hartford asked.  The growl Logan gave him told Hartford that it was best not to press the issue.

Ten minutes later they were all loaded into Hartford's plane.  It was a twin-engine Cessna designed for 6 people, but with Beast there, space was a little cramped.  Even with that, Hartford sat as far away from Logan as possible. His comfort level however, hadn't diminished in the least by sitting next to Bishop and his inordinate amount of weapons.  

"That…that's a rather large gun you have their Mr. um…"

"Bishop!" the 6'6, 275lb. mutant said without looking at him.  He said nothing else to the tiny man and kept a very stern look on his face, prompting a very quick end to Hartford's desire to converse.

Logan scanned the checklist for the Cessna and quickly sped through the start-up procedures.  Within minutes, they were in the air and headed for Atwater.  Pushing the plane to the limit, they arrived in about 40 minutes later.  

"Everybody strap in!" Logan yelled.

"Why?" Hartford inquired.

"You ever bring this thing in dead stick?" he responded.

"No…I would nev…"

"Well I'm about to!" Logan interrupted.

"But how?  The runway isn't lit up – you can't see…you'll get us all killed!"

"I see plenty Bub, now strap in and shut yer trap." he said as he cut the power to the engines and began his dead stick approach.  The other X-Men were also a little concerned but kept their mouths shut.  They knew that Logan was a very experienced pilot, but there was a big difference between the Blackbird and a twin-engine Cessna; and Logan was a lot more "durable" than the others when it came to crash landings.

He wanted to set the plane down within minimum distance on the runway to minimize the chance of being seen, so he made his approach a bit steeper than normal.  Had the runway's VASI (Visual Approach Slope Indicator) been on, they would have shown his angle of approach to be severely in the red – indicating a touchdown (if you can call it that) very short of the strip.  Though the other passengers' eyesight wasn't nearly as good as Logan's, everybody in the plane saw the ground quickly approaching.  Even Storm let out a gasp when she saw how short they were of the runway.   At about 125 feet, Logan pulled back hard while giving the ailerons one final shift and landed the plane as smooth as he would have the Blackbird – much to everyone's surprise.  

"Everybody out!" he yelled as he brought the plane to a quick stop.

"My stars and garters Logan, could you have made a more dramatic landing?" Beast asked.  "I wasn't aware you were that knowledgeable of this type of aircraft.

"Neither was I Hank…"

"You never cease to amaze me Logan – the knowledge you have in that hard head of yours." Storm said with a wink.  She then turned very serious and took command of the situation.  "Logan, recon the northern area and report.  Bishop, Beast – hide the plane and prepare for insertion.  Hartford – stay close to the plane.  If anyone approaches, hide.  I'll take a look up top."  With that, she and Wolverine were off.  Storm took to the air to get a bird's eye view of the southern buildings and Logan began a cat-like inspection of the northern facilities.  Hartford was the only one surprised to see Storm take to the air.  

"She…she does this quite often?" he asked of the two remaining X-Men while looking at Storm disappear into the darkness of the sky.

"Yes Mr. Ballister…" Beast politely responded. "She's quite experienced in situations such as this."  He said as he and Bishop quietly pushed the plane off the end of the runway behind the closest supply shack.  "She's one of the best I've seen at thinking on her feet."

"Best field commander I've ever worked under…" Bishop interjected.  "There, that should be sufficient for hiding the plane and any heat the engine generates" he said as he finished locking the wheels and gave his 2 pulse rifles a second inspection.

"It may adequately shield the plane from view, but I believe this thermal blanket will do a better job at shielding the heat from any sensors." Beast said as he pulled a thin blanket out of his backpack.

"What the hell DON'T you keep in that thing Beast?"

"Preparation for the unexpected is the key to survival my friend…it is indeed what Darwin had in mind when he devised the theory of '_survival of the fittest'_."

"Whatever Beast!  I'm just glad you're on our side."

Storm was the first to return. She reported no activity from the southern area then waited for Logan's report.  He returned about 5 minutes later with plenty to report.

"There's a warehouse about 2 clicks northwest of here.  The lights are out and it looks abandoned but there are 2 armed guards walkin' the perimeter and I picked up a mess o' scents around it:  several vehicles  - some of 'em heavy, lots of people, weapons, infrared security; even a couple mines."  

"Anything else?"

Yeah, picked up a snoot full o' that crap in Harford's lab."

"What crap?" Hartford asked.

"That crap you put lab animals in when you wanna keep 'em alive in a fishbowl."

"Bio-fill?"  But what would anyone possibly need with bio-fill?  It's a patented substance strictly for use in my lab.  I'm the…"

"I thought I told you ta shut it Bub.  Next time you open yer pie hole, I'll shut it for ya - permanently." He said as he turned to Storm.  "Everything points to that warehouse Storm.  I say we knock at the door and see who answers, but it's yer call – howya wanna play it?"

"Did you pick up Jubilee's scent?"

"No."

"Let us proceed.  Wolverine, you take point.  We don't know what we're up against, so let's proceed with caution."

As they headed out, Hartford saw fit to question his role.

"What about…?

**SNIKT**

"Okay – I'll stay here and watch the plane."

"Because you're Ro's friend and she thinks yer innocent, I WON'T tie you down – but you get any ideas o' runnin' off; I'll hunt you down and finish what I started in yer office.  Capish?"

"Umm…I capish."

It took less than 10 minutes for them to get to the warehouse.  With Wolverine having already scouted ahead and Storm watching from above, they were able to quickly move past the unoccupied buildings.  

"I thought you said there were mines out here." Bishop said to Logan as they crept through an open field leading up to the warehouse.

"There are – one's about 12 feet to yer right.  

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, whoever put 'em in was into surplus – they ain't all that advanced.  Takes about 40lbs ta set 'em off and the primer is pretty heavily greased.  I could smell 'em a half a click back…they're good for a bang, but ya get what ya pay fer and these mines were meant fer chowder heads like you…not fer someone with my snoot."

"Wolverine, there are rare occasions in which I really envy your unique abilities…" Beast interjected

**Sniff Sniff** "Watch yer step Beast…dog shit."

"Then there are times I really don't." Beast countered.

As they approached the building, they came across the second of the security hurdles – the cameras and security guards.

"Storm, how about some cover – we need ta get under these cameras and get to the guards." 

"Will do Logan."  Immediately after she said that, a mist of fog descended upon the base.  That part of the valley normally saw its share of fog; so seeing it was nothing unexpected for the security team inside the building monitoring the cameras.  That allowed the 3 X-Men to get closer to the building without suspicion.  The security guards outside however could see far beyond the reach of the cameras and were a little on edge at how fast it crept up.  

"So how should we proceed Gentleman?  Who wants to take whom?" Beast asked.

"I can take out the radio from here – then we can take them both down easily." Bishop replied.

"You two stay here and discuss it…" Logan interrupted as he checked the camera position then tore into a mad dash toward the guards "I got my ass-kickin' boots on and um ready ta rumble!"

The crispness in the air hindered his silent approach, but that didn't stop him from reaching and attacking both guards at the same time.  Just as they caught the sound of him running up behind them, he popped his claws out and flew into a dropkick - immediately knocking the guard with the radio out and putting himself in position to destroy the weapon of the other guard.  The second guard tried to regain his composure but as soon as Wolverine landed, he spun around and hit him with a right cross.  The guard stumbled back but was still on his feet.  He stood 6'3 and didn't look too bright – which probably meant he was much better at fighting than thinking.  He immediately tossed what was left of his gun down and took a swing at Logan.  His right arm delivered a smashing blow to Wolverine's left jaw, which sent him spinning to the ground – or so the guard thought.  As Logan spun toward the ground, he extended his leg and swept the guard off his feet with a roundhouse kick.  Quick to respond, the guard gave Logan a surprising kick to the chest and jumped back on his feet.  Just as he started to go after Logan again, Beast surprised him from behind with a large enough blow to knock him unconscious.  The three of them then quickly pulled the two guards deeper into the fog before the security camera swung back into view.

Storm joined them and started planning the group's next move.

"There are 3 points of entry – all of 'em got cameras over 'em…the fog ain't gonna cover us.  We can either knock on the door or continue with this cloak and dagger shit – what's it gonna be Ro?"

"The sewage system?"

"Covered…no way in this time."

"We still don't know what we're up against, so I'm opposed to a frontal assault." 

"I have a suggestion." Beast interjected.

"What is it?

"This." He said as he pulled a gadget out of his pack.

"Whuzzat?"

"Something I thought might come in handy.  I borrowed from Remy…who knows where he got it.  It's a code cracker with a video interface.  It allows one to tap into the camera's CPU and see what it is being viewed…I can then record it and put it on a feedback loop.  Its effective range is about 90 ft, but that should be enough.  Give me a minute to set it up."

"What if that gizmo doesn't work Hank?  Will it alert them?"

"Yes indeed...and you will have the _'set-to' you apparently desire._

A few minutes later 2 green lights appeared on Beast's gadget signifying a successful break-through.

"There – it's working, we can proceed now."

"Are you sure?" Storm inquired.

"Absolutely – this LCD tells me what the camera is seeing right now – it's working perfectly."

"Very well, move out."

As they crept up to the closest door, they saw no signs that they had been detected.  This eased Storm's mind somewhat, but she was still very concerned.  Had there been time, she would have waited for the other X-Men to arrive; but seeing how every second meant valuable time for Jubilee's safety, she knew they had to move.  At the door, they ran into their final security hurdle – the alarm.  

**Snikt**  "We gonna knock?" Logan asked.

"Hold on a sec…" Bishop said.  "let me take a look.  I've seen most of these old-timey alarms before…the ones you guys call 'state of the art'."

After carefully studying the door and all its features, he let out a breath of air.

 "This security system – it's the Circa-2101.  I used to break into them when I was…younger.  They're tricky, but not impossible.  It's very sensitive, but the relay switch has a flaw in it – if it loses energy, it doesn't send an alert back to the CPU.  Besides that, it's pretty good.  Some people put 2 relay switches on them to compensate, but they didn't figure that little trick out until years after it was in production.  The relay switch should be located right here." He said as he made a small mark on the wall about 4 inches from the door.  "Wolverine – you think you can make simultaneous clean slices on both sides of this mark?"

**SNIKT**

"You betcha"

"Good – Storm, lower the temperature of this wall to just below freezing.  It will slow down the processor in the relay while Logan cuts it."

Storm laid her hand on the wall and after a few seconds, frost started forming around it.  

"That should be enough Logan."  She said when she thought the wall had reached the desired temperature.  Almost as soon as she pulled her hand back, Logan popped his 2 outer claws on his right hand, grunted, and sliced through the wall.  The only sound that followed Logan's incision was the silence of the night.

"Guess it worked…" Logan said as he pulled his claws out.

After that, slicing through the door latch was easy.

"Open says me!" Logan grunted – the first sign that his rage was subsiding and he was in control of his emotions again.

"Heads up team." Storm said.  "We've made it this far, but that won't last long.  Wolverine, you take point.  Bishop, pull up the rear."

They entered the warehouse in a single file line. The door they entered lead to an indoor garage where there were several vans, three covered duece-and-halves, and a couple of cars.  Nobody seemed to be around.

**Sniff Sniff**

"Got something?" Beast asked.

"Yeah – Jubes' was here.  It's faint, but I'd know her scent anywhere." he said as he headed for the vehicles.  While passing by the duece-and-halves, he got a good breath of the bio-fill Hartford mentioned.  Since his mind was stuck on finding Jubilee, he didn't bother to look in their cargo holds.  He kept going until he found the van that had Jubilee's scent.  As the rest of the group crept past the duece-and-halves, Storm lifted one of the canvas covers and looked inside it.  At first, curiosity got the better of her – then sheer terror at what she saw.  Inside the deuce-and-half was a clear cylinder-shaped tank big enough to fit a human being.  From it's size, configuration, and controls; It was pretty obvious it was designed for human experimentation.  For three of the X-Men present, it wasn't a problem; but for the fourth - the one that had considerable experimentation forcibly done on him – it was a reminder of a past best forgotten.  The last time Logan came across a reminder of his past, it sent him into an uncontrollable berserker rage.  They couldn't afford to have that happen on this mission, and it was up to Storm to prevent it.  In true form, she hid her thoughts behind her clear and placid face, but the thoughts going through her mind had definitely changed the parameters of the mission.  

Her brief second of shock went unnoticed by Logan and Bishop, but Beast's curiosity had gotten the better of him and he was looking right at Storm when she peeked into the back of the truck.  Her reaction when she looked at Logan told Beast that he best not alert the rest of the group to her discovery.  He tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and when their eyes met, he knew she wanted him to look inside.  _'*__Oh my dear lord*__' he thought Once he saw what was there.  He looked back at Storm who motioned her head toward Wolverine and gave him the indicator that she didn't' want Wolverine to know about their discovery.  _

With Bishop fast approaching, he quickly replaced the cover and caught up to Wolverine.  Both hid their concern very well, but they both knew the mission was about to get very bad very quick.

"So what's up with the deuce-and-halves?"

"Nothing Bishop…" Beast said.  "equipment mostly, crates and other sorted things."

Bishop started to question Beast's explanation but an angry howl followed by the unmistakable sound of 6 adamantium claws slicing through metal drew his attention away.  Before anyone could even question what Logan had found, he had popped his claws out and sliced the rear doors off of a delivery van.  Storm ran up immediately with Beast and Bishop close behind.  Both of the male X-Men took up defensive positions: Bishop at the head of the van and Beast at the foot.  Logan was completely inside sniffing it like a bloodhound when Storm looked in

"Wolverine what is it? Did you pick up Jubilee's…" He turned to face her and she saw the berserker rage stirring in his eyes.  The low growl in his voice and the heavy breathing he had started was an obvious sign that he had lost all control and was in pure berserker mode.

"Wolverine!  Stifle it – now!" she ordered.  He looked right through her like she wasn't even there.  "I said Stifle it Wolverine – we don't need this…not if we're going to find Jubilee!"

"She was here Ro!" he yelled – eyes wide with rage.  "They grabbed her and threw her in here!"

"I know Wolverine, but we have to focus.  We have to get back to the mission!"

"They took my little…they took Jubilee, Ro!  It ain't so easy ta just _'follow orders' when she's out there somewhere with someone doin' who knows what to her!" _

"We'll get her back Logan, but right now you need to calm down, check your rage and return to the mission."

"You wouldn't be so _'in control' if they kidnapped someone YOU were so close to - if they took…"_

"KITTY?!" she yelled!  A chill spread across the room, alerting Logan – and everyone else - to a definite change in the air – and Storm's attitude.  Thunder could be heard roaring across the distant sky.   "How dare you?!" she roared with well-deserved condescension.  "Jubilee is as much my child as she is yours – just like Tasha, and just like KITTY!  She....THEY are all part of our family.  We cared for ALL of them all these years." The glow emanating from her eyes and the thunder roaring across the sky told Logan that he not only angered Storm - the love of his life - he also hurt her deeply. He had no right to say what he did and he knew it.  With shame laying heavy on him, his eyes sunk. "God 'Ro, I..."

 "Concentrate on the mission – that's an order!" she barked as she turned and scanned the room.

His rage persisted but the change in his demeanor told her that he had it under control - for now.  However, the thing she feared had started to happen – his rage was starting to jeopardize the mission.  

"Bishop – take point; Beast – take the rear.  Be careful - with all this noise, they probably know we're here.  Bishop, set your gun to MAXIMUM STUN – we still don't know what we're getting into and we don't want any innocent people killed."

"Copy." Bishop said as he moved into position.  Logan didn't like his "demotion" from point but understood why Storm did it.  Had it been _One-eye_, he would have ignored him and continued to lead; but Storm had earned more than his respect as a leader, she had earned his loyalty; and most important – his trust.  When she made decisions, he knew there was a good reason for it.  Instead of objecting, he merely pointed in the direction Jubilee's scent led and fell in line behind Storm.

They were half way to the door when Logan picked up the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming toward them.  He barely had time to yell "INCOMING!" before 4 armed guards busted through a set of double doors and opened fire.  Without hesitation, Logan pushed Storm out the way and ran directly at the guards.  He was in full gallop when the guards let loose a barrage of bullets that tore into his flesh.  Though it slowed him down considerably, the endless barrage did not stop him; nothing short of a grenade could have done that.  

Even as blood spewed out his body, he continued his pursuit of his would-be killers.  Because of his seemingly unstoppable quest, the 4 guards were completely surprised and distracted by him – giving Storm and Bishop a chance to take out two of them unchallenged.  With only 2 left and the distance between them and Logan being less than 8 feet, an angry howl and a cat-like lunge was all it took to end the life of one guard and significantly cripple the other.  A back-handed swipe with 3 extended claws quickly ended his suffering.

"Wolverine!  Status?" Storm yelled during the interim silence.

"I'll live" he growled; his wounds healing even as he spoke.  "Check Hank, he's hurt."

"What?" she asked.

"He's been shot – I can smell the blood from here."

"Beast?" Storm asked as she turned to her furry blue teammate.

"Though not…the desired…outcome, Wolverine's assessment is correct." he said with a painful breath.  "Luckily…it's only a flesh wound. The bullet…passed right through."  

Wolverine took the bulk of the bullet shower but some missed, and with Hank being such a large target; one easily found him.  It passed right through the flesh of his torso, leaving the tiniest of marks on the fur of his chest and a much more serious exit wound on his back.  Bishop quickly pulled a bandage from Beast's pack and started field wrapping the wound.  

"Do you need immediate medical attention Beast?" Storm asked.

"Not…until our Jubilation…is found." He painfully said as he regained his composure.

"Cut the yap and let's go.  I don't wanna be around when those dime store rejects send reinforcements."  Logan grunted as he again headed for the doors.

Storm wanted to make sure Beast was okay, but before she could continue her questioning, he had already waved Bishop off and caught up with Logan.  With Beast determined to see the mission through, she put her concern aside and continued with the mission.  

"Bishop – take point, Beast take the rear." 

"What the flamin'…" Logan said as he looked back at Storm. With the four of them having been detected, he thought he was the obvious choice for point.

"Do not question my decisions Logan."  

He started to say something but figured it'd be best to refocus on the mission.  He filed in behind Storm.  Bishop took the lead, recocked his gun for a setting much more significant than stun, then proceeded through the doors.    

They made their way deeper into the warehouse and passed through a supply room.  Bishop and Storm alternated point – securing about 30 feet at a time in a see-saw pattern while bringing up Logan and Beast in between rotations.  Bishop was about 20 feet ahead of the group and headed for the next point when Logan heard the motorized sound of a tracking camera.  

"Storm – There's a…" 

**BZZAP** Before he could finish his sentence, Storm had taken the camera out with an energy blast.  "Incoming!" she yelled as she illuminated the room with two energy blasts that knocked out 2 guards and injured a third who had tried to sneak in and take shelter behind a storage crate.  Three more followed them in – weapons cocked and raised to aim.  A single blast from Bishop penetrated one, killing him instantly while knocking the one behind him unconscious.  The third threw a percussion grenade that landed a few feet from him.  It blew just as he jumped behind another crate.  The first crate was decimated in the blast but the second shielded him effectively.  As the blast pushed up against it, he absorbed its power and rechanneled it in the direction of the last remaining guard.  When he looked up, the guard was gone.  He had been knocked unconscious by another blast from Storm.

They were about to regroup when the doors swung open and a group of guards tossed in several grenades.  None were close enough to cause any real injuries but the explosions kept them preoccupied while more guards snuck in.  Except for Wolverine, the entire group was outflanked and quickly found themselves dodging bullets and debris.  With the X-Men preoccupied by the guards already in the room, more filed in and the room quickly filled up.  Bishop took out 3 before a fourth knocked him down with a flying tackle over the crate he was behind.

"You ain't so bad without that big-ass gun are ya!" the guard yelled when he squared off against Bishop and saw that his gun had slid out of reach.

"I hold my own!" he defiantly replied while looking at another approaching guard.  They were too close to use guns with out exposing themselves to unnecessary risk, so one attacked with a club and the other with fists raised.  Bishop effectively deflected the incoming club and took advantage of his offender's exposed rib cage by giving him a bone-crushing right hook that broke at least 2 ribs.  With lightening speed, he gave the guard 2 more jabs – puncturing his lung in at least 3 places.  Just as the guard collapsed, the other guard positioned himself to hit Bishop from behind with his club.  He spun around in time to prevent himself from being hit in the head but wasn't able to dodge being hit in the chest.  The hit winded him but didn't knock him down - much to the guard's surprise.  Even more surprising was the intensity of the kick Bishop gave him in response.  It knocked the guard head first over a crate into another – rendering him very much unconscious.  He looked to the first guard who was still on the ground coughing up blood; then reconnoitered the area.  Wolverine had engaged most of the guards, leaving the other 2 X-Men to those that had enough common sense not to attack a madman with 6 claws sticking out of his hands.  Three had gone after Storm, but Bishop was more worried about Beast than he was about her.  Seeing that he was wounded, 2 had already engaged him and 2 more were headed his way.  No other guards had entered the room and he was the only one in position to help Beast so he headed for the injured mutant.

Beast was fairing as well as he could with one good arm, but his luck was running out and he knew it.  The first of his four opponents had gone down with a smashing blow to the jaw; but the second capitalized on his injury with a baton to his wound.  He let out a howling yell as he keeled over in pain.

The other 2 guards were fast approaching and the one that hit him was just about to give him a blow to the head when Bishop did a flying block from behind and knocked all 3 to the ground.  The first guard took the grunt of the block and was semi-conscious when Bishop squared off against him.  The other two guards forgot about Beast and refocused their attention on Bishop and were about to attack when Beast hit one with the baton the first guard dropped.

"Turnabout…is fair play" he retorted.  With 2 guards against 1 futuristic cop, the odds were heavily stacked in Bishop's favor.  They didn't put up much of a fight.

Storm squared off against 3 – surrounded in triangle fashion.  

"She's cute!" one yelled.

"Yeah – we'll have ta save her for later!" another replied – stating what was on all three men's minds. They all gave the gorgeous weather goddess an evil grin as they came to agreement on their future plans for her and prepared to attack.

"Defiling this body may prove harder than you think!" she boldly yelled shortly before the first guard attacked.  He dove at her – trying to take her down and pin her beneath him.  She countered by crouching low and using his own momentum to flip him into one of the other guards.  The remaining guard tried to grab her but a low sweeping kick knocked him off his feet.  

"That's something my husband taught me!" she taunted.  As he recovered from his embarrassing blunder, she energized her hand and hit him with a blast solid enough to knock him out.  Without looking, she then did a backward high kick to the head of one of the recovering guards and sent him sailing backward – onto the remaining guard…again.  

"Get the hell off me you idiot!" he yelled as he pushed the unconscious guard aside and stood to face Storm.

"Heed my warning – attack again and suffer a worse fate!" Storm said to him.

"Heed MY warning BITCH!  You won't be so smug when I mount that fine ass o' yours!"  He threw jab after jab – neither hitting his intended target.  She gracefully blocked each one, and when he became frustrated; he overextended himself in an attempted jab - something she readily took advantage of.  She blocked his punch with her left hook and used her right arm to break his left arm at the elbow.  She then braced his broken arm and pulled him toward her while simultaneously giving him a knee to the groin.  He immediately doubled over and she gave him another knee thrust to the head.  He was out before he hit the ground.

Storm then reconnoitered from the rafters of the warehouse ceiling.  Her position gave her perfect cover as the next wave of guards approached the door.  She sent blast after blast at the entrance of the door preventing other guards from coming in.  This however was unsatisfactory for Wolverine who had already gone through the guards that attacked him and was still itchin' to kick some ass.  He took the fight directly to them and lunged for the entrance.  As if Storm had read his mind, she paused just long enough for him to get through the doorway.  As soon as he was through the door, she pursued him.  Bishop was in a close third and Beast pulled up in a not-too-distant fourth.  

They all heard screams of agony as they approached the doors and knew exactly who the screams were coming from.  At this point, Wolverine was in pure fighting mode and easily went through one guard after another.  They managed to get off a few rounds, which unfortunately for them made him madder.  

His moves were so fluidic they seemed almost like a well-choreographed dance.  Even Storm – the senior most X-Man there – hadn't seen him like this before.  She wondered if he would be able to recover from this mental state.  When his growls turned to pure animalistic howls, she really started to worry.  

He steadily fought his way through, but started slowing down in the process.  Even with his unique mutant ability and indestructible adamantium skeleton, he could only take so much.  With the amount of healing required from the first barrage of bullets, he was quickly losing his energy.  Storm knew this and knew that he would soon be running on pure adrenaline.  To the average person, the way he engaged the enemy was unparalleled and one would have thought he was invincible.  But to Storm – an active member of the Ro/Lo Combo – even the slightest change was noticeable and she had definitely seen signs he was approaching his limit.  

Without hesitation, she picked up where he started falling behind.  The guards were all focused on him and were steadily doing whatever they could to stop him - which gave her the perfect opportunity to deliver an unexpected strike.  In rapid fire procession, she delivered a rash of energy blasts that all but decimated the 3 remaining guards engaged with Wolverine and the 9 guards approaching.  Her fury was beginning to boil almost as much as Wolverine's and though she kept the intensity of her blasts below the lethal level, her desire to quickly secure the area had definitely been peaked.  More guards approached and were met with fierce winds that easily swept them off their feet and threw them into one wall after another until they were unconscious.  

Bishop popped off a few blasts, but with all the guards flying through the air, none of his shots found their mark.  He saw another security camera at the far end of the hall and quickly disabled it.  That, coupled with Storm's wind and Wolverine's rampage gave the group a few moments of peace.  Storm saw that they had spread out over about 40 yards and took the lull in fighting as a time to regroup.  With the security camera disabled, she quickly scanned the corridor for a rest area.  What she spotted was a small vending area at a T-intersection where 2 corridors met. The other corridor looked like another route back to the garage area – further north than the one they came in on.

The vending area was open on 2 sides – giving a quick exit if they needed one.  Both corridors could be monitored from it as well.  She landed and quickly gave the signal for the rest of the team to join her.  When all three were in, Storm stood guard at the intersection – carefully scanning the entire area for any signs of movement.

"Beast!  What is your status?" she commanded with urgency.

"I'll live.  Do not worry about me."

"Wolverine.  What about you?"

"5 X 5."

"You took a lot of bullets – how is your energy level?"

"I said um flamin' fine!  Stop wastin' time and let's find Jubilee."

"I will NOT have you collapse in combat.  Grab some food from that vend…"

**SNIKT**  

He knew what she was getting at before she said it and was already slicing through the glass of the machine.  During her tenure with the X-Men, she'd seen him so depleted of protein that his healing factor couldn't work and knew he needed something fast.  With one X-Man injured and another missing – she couldn't risk losing him in combat.  He grabbed a couple sandwiches and quickly engulfed one.  Even before he could spit out the plastic "Pastrami on Rye" label, he could feel the proteins being absorbed into his body.  Bishop checked Beast's bandages while Logan finished off the second sandwich.  The bleeding had slowed to a trickle and though his shoulder seriously hurt him, his arm was fully functional – if he needed to use it.  

"Oh to have your regenerative capabilities Logan" Beast muttered.  "To be able to use a pastrami on rye as a Band-Aid is truly a magnificent gift." he said with an air of humor.

"Needs mustard." Logan said as he swallowed the last bite of the second sandwich and again scanned the corridor.  

**SNIFF SNIFF**

"Jubilee!" he growled as he focused on the unexplored part of the corridor.  

"You picked up her scent Wolverine?" Storm asked.

"Straight ahead.  She came through this corridor.  But she was carried in – I can't pick up her footprints anywhere – just her scent in the air."

Just ahead of them lay 2 very large and very secure doors.  Everyone figured it was the entrance to the main warehouse.  What was beyond it was anybody's guess; but one thing was for sure – they were about to find out.

"Bishop – take point."

Logan shot Storm a vicious glare but was met with an already anticipated and much more vicious face.  He again put his attitude in check and filed in behind her.  

"The crap you get away with Ro!  If you were Cike…"

"I'm not!" she snapped - cutting him off without looking back at him – his cue to refocus on the mission.

They reached the main warehouse door without any resistance – which meant 1 of 2 things:  either they had already dealt with all the guards, or the guards were waiting for them on the inside.  

"I don't like it!" Logan growled.

"Neither do I" Storm replied.  "Do you detect anything?"

"Yeah – lots o' people been through here…and the scent o' gun oil is flamin' everywhere."

"I can probably take that door out with my gun" Bishop said.

"Keep moving" she responded as she motioned to Bishop to follow the corridor parallel with the entrance and look for another opening.  They all filed down the corridor but after walking about 300 feet, the only thing they found was a wall and another corridor leading away from the main room.  

"Interesting predicament" Beast said as he walked up and joined Bishop in the lead position.

"What now Storm?  We gonna prance around this entire flamin' warehouse lookin' fer a way ta sneak in?" Logan asked as he looked down both corridors.

"No!" she growled.  With a puma-like glare, she turned around and looked right through him.

He knew what was coming and quickly jumped out of her way.  The time for strategizing was over, and every one knew it – it was time to kick ass.  Just as he jumped out the way, she unleashed two mighty energy blasts that decimated the wall behind him and effectively created the alternate entrance she sought.  

Before he could regain his composure, she was already headed inside the gaping hole.  

"You and Hank stay here and stand guard.  Bishop and I will check out the warehouse!"

"What the flamin'?!" he yelled as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back from the hole.  "You ain't doin' this without me!" he yelled at her.  "If Jubes is in there, um goin' in…" he said as he looked over her shoulder.  "…and there's nuttin' you can do ta…WHAT THE HELL!!!" he said as he saw what was inside the warehouse.

At that point, Storm no longer existed to him – neither did the rest of the X-Men.  Her fears had come true.  Wolverine had come face to face with his past and was about to lose all control.  The warehouse was filled with large human-sized cylinders – each with an unconscious mutant inside.  As soon as he saw them his mind flashed back to that fateful day in Canada – the day he received his adamantium laced skeleton.  He thought about the pain that seared through his body when the adamantium was bonded to his skeleton.  He thought about the complete loss of control of his life and how it took years to overcome the psychological damage done to his mind.  Then images of all the people he cared about flashed through his mind – Storm, Kitty, Tasha…Jubilee.  He saw each one of them being experimented on  - adamantium tearing through their skin.  He saw the fear and pain in their faces while scientists played god with their bodies.  Then he saw red – pure, unadulterated anger.  The thought of them going through all that was too much for him to bear.  **SNIKT** His eyes glossed over and the grinding in his teeth stopped.

"Logan.  LOGAN! Snap out of it!" Storm commanded.  He ignored her.  The only thing he saw was the unconscious mutant in the tank in front of him. "Snap out of it I said!" she demanded.  "We have to…"

"GET THEM!  THEY'RE IN THE BACK!" a voice yelled.

**BADDAM BADDAM**  

The unmistakable sound of AK-47's echoed through the room.  The guards that were waiting for the X-Men by the main entrance had finally made it back to where they were.  The sound of the first shot and the pain of flesh tearing open quickly pulled Wolverine out of his trance.

"JUBILEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled as he remembered why he was there.  He lunged at the guards – catching them completely off guard.  The guards thought the 4 X-Men would see how many soldiers there were in the warehouse and turn tail and run – they were wrong…dead wrong.  With his berserker rage blaring, he viciously ripped through everybody that got in his way – then went after the ones that didn't.  The soldiers were good but they weren't the best at what they did, and none of them could have predicted a foe as formidable as Wolverine.

"Use your grenade launchers!" the leader yelled.  "TAKE HIM OUT!"

Before any of the guards could even lock and load a grenade, Wolverine focused his attention on the leader.

"You the head honcho?  If you wanna take me out Bub, do it yerself!"  The leader managed to get off a couple rounds, but in the end, his only claim to fame was that he didn't go down without a fight.  After killing the C.O., Logan again refocused on the guards.  Once he had engaged them, they couldn't use their grenades without killing their own men – they could only shoot and run.

"See if you can handle THIS ya lousy mutant! One guard yelled as he anchored a 20mm cannon and aimed it at Logan.  The gun made a deafening sound as he shot Wolverine through the left side of his abdomen. Logan let out a blood-curdling yell as the bullet tore through his body and left a gaping exit wound.  

"Wolverine!" Storm yelled when she saw his injury.  The blast knocked him back about 9 feet before he fell to the ground in agony.  She wanted to check on him but the guard turned his gun on her.  She threw 4 energy blasts at him, forcing him to abandon his attack but he was too quick to be hit. Her counter attack did, however, draw him away from his gun.  He tried to make it back but Storm prevented him by showering the area with energy blasts.  She would have destroyed the gun but was concerned with where the stray bullets would hit so she continued shooting at him.  It wasn't until he pulled his 9mm sidearm and fired at her that she relented.  

"Stand still ya lousy mutant…" he yelled.  "while I fill your ass fulla bullets!"

She dodged more of his 9mm shots as he made his way back to his weapon, then she took to the air so the mutants in the tanks wouldn't be hurt in the crossfire.  It was her hope that once she was airborne, he would waste his ammunition in the rafters of the warehouse while one of the other X-Men took him out.  He never got the chance though.  Having thought Wolverine was dead, the guard focused all his attention on her.  That proved fatal in the end as the down-but-not-out mutant recovered and attacked.  

"That li'l pop gun may work well on airplanes Bub…but this here TOMCAT is tougher than the average Grumman!" He yelled as he dove claw first at the guard.  Six razor sharp claws entered, exited, and ripped the guard AND his weapon apart.  

Logan's wound was bleeding profusely but that didn't stop him.  As if possessed, he engaged man after man.  One by one they fell.  A few got smart and realized that running was a much more viable option for such a formidable enemy; but many stayed behind thinking they could defeat the small band of mutants.  Bishop also engaged the guards but with Wolverine the way he was, the fight wasn't going to last long.  

"Find Jubilee.  We'll take care of these guys!" Bishop yelled to Storm and Beast.  Beast had entered the warehouse and assessed the situation when he heard Bishop.   He looked at Storm to tell her that he was going look for Jubilee but she already knew what he was up to.  She nodded her head in approval as she herself went to look for the leaders of the group – the scientists.  She knew Wolverine and Bishop were more than capable of handling or distracting the guards.  With the battle going the way it was, and their secret discovered; the leaders of these experiments were surely clearing out by now.

As Storm and Beast searched, the sounds of battle echoed in their ears:  AK-47's, combat commands, blasts from Bishop's guns, animalistic howls, and the agonizing shrieks of those unfortunate enough to be caught in Wolverine's path echoed throughout the warehouse.  Storm proceeded to what looked like a control room.  After Beast saw how many tanks there were in the warehouse, he followed her.  She found it a few minutes later.

The control room was an elevated deck filled with computer monitors, lab equipment, and other miscellaneous research items.  Just like Storm thought, it had recently been vacated.  She looked around for anything that might tell her who was in charge.  Not seeing anything, she quickly took to the rafters to get a bird's eye view of the complex.  

When she didn't see anything, she landed near the main doors and began a low-level search for anything suspicious.  As she walked through row after row of captured mutants, she couldn't help but think of the senselessness of it all.  One particular mutant caught her eye – a young black woman that reminded Storm of herself when she was younger.  She stopped for a second to ponder who the unconscious mutant was and where she came from.  Just then, a large man grabbed her from behind; covering her mouth and pinning her arms.

"I've got the woman!" the guard yelled.  "If you don't wanna see her get hurt, you'll…" Before he could finish his sentence, she gave him a head butt to the face – shattering his lower lip.  Though painful, he didn't let go.  It wasn't until she dug her combat boot into his shin that he decided holding on to her wasn't in his best interest.

"You little bitch!" he yelled as he threw her headfirst into one of the tank walls.  She recovered and turned around to face the angry man – who by now had a good taste of blood in his mouth.  "I'll teach you to fuck with me!" he yelled before he gave her a right hook to her face - a blow that knocked her to her knees.  She tried to recover but he followed up with a kick to the ribs. "Bet you'll feel THAT in the mornin' – provided you LIVE that long!" he yelled.  His brief second of taunting was all she needed to recover though.  She was in too much pain to accurately summon her power without killing him and every mutant around her, so she resorted back to her fighting skills.  He didn't even see her slide a small knife out of her boot when she turned over on her hands and knees.  Just as he tried to grab her again, she spun around and threw the knife.  With pinpoint accuracy, it dug into his left thigh – stopping him instantly.  As she jumped to her feet she gave him a high kick to the head – sending him reeling back about 8 feet.  By the time he recovered, she was already on her feet facing him.  She spat out a good amount of blood and felt the left side of her rib cage to assess the damage – at least 2 broken, but none life threatening.

He let out an angry yell as he pulled the knife out of his leg and threw it at her.  His aim wasn't nearly as good as hers though; and he watched as the wayward knife sailed past her.  "Be careful!" she yelled.  "I'm heavily trained and carry more than one knife. I put that one in your leg because I didn't want to kill you – but if you persist, I WILL stop you." Running on pure adrenaline, he lunged at her – trying to get at the ribs she was favoring.  As soon as he did, she gave him a quick kick to his knee – breaking it instantly.  "I'm quite sure YOU will feel THAT in the morning." She said to him when he fell to the ground.  "Your next move will determine your future…whether you HAVE one or not." she snapped.  In a futile attempt to save face, he propped himself against one of the tanks and pulled a sidearm from under his jacket.  Storm heard him chamber it just before she dove out of site.  With the gun in his hand, she knew she couldn't hit him with an energy blast.  She truly regretted his decision to continue fighting as she reached for a second knife in her boot.  *I thought THIS part of my life was behind me* she said to herself as she positioned the knife for throwing.

"Show yourself bitch!" the guard yelled. "Or I'll kill one of these precious MUTANTS you're trying so hard to protect!" With cat-like speed she revealed her position for a split second – just long enough to throw the knife and silence the guard forever.  She remained silent as she walked up to him and watched the blood poor out of his fatal knife wound.  Her head hung low as she reflected on what she had done and confirmed the kill.

By then, Beast had reached the command center and was looking at the layout.  He found the main terminal and started examining it.  It was a complicated monitoring system that recorded all the vital information for each mutant in the lab.  He was sure he wouldn't have a problem with it though – it had been methodically and logically laid out.  With a few keystrokes, he was into the database that identified each mutant but unfortunately, they were all designated by an unknown code.  He saw countless ID's such as CSUH-3, UCR-2, UOP-2, and UCD-9.  He quickly identified the call letters as universities throughout California and surmised that the numbers were related to how many mutants had been kidnapped from each location.  UCD and CSUS had the highest numbers, which made sense considering the suspected link at UC Davis.  Thinking logically, he concluded that Jubilee would be in the last UCD one; but being the scientist he was, he needed confirmation.  Upon opening UCD-14's file, all he saw were vital statistics being monitored…nothing useful when trying to identify someone.  

*"_Think outside the box Beast"* Hank said to himself.  *"__How can I find our Jubilee?"*  He keyed in a search string that scanned the entire database for mutant characteristics.  Once he found it, he cross-matched it to some of the things being monitored in the first database, and then reopened the UCD files.  After pulling up UCD-14, he scanned it for anything useful.  It listed a female mutant, approximately 18 years of age, with the ability to shoot energy globules from her hands and possibly control them at will.  "That's our little firecracker!" he said as he looked for her tank number.  "J-3" he shouted. "There are 12 rows, J would be row 10 so I imagine she would be in row 10 somewhere.  _

He then noticed a large-capacity data disk in the terminal.  It seemed to be a back up the entire system.  After popping it out and examining it, he began to smile.  "This no doubt, will make for some interesting reading" he said while opening his backpack.  

"NO!!!!!!!!!!" a voice yelled from behind.  Beast turned around just as Benson kicked open the doors of a supply cabinet and tackled him – knocking him unconscious.  "That's my life's work!" he yelled as he grabbed the disk out Beast's hand, remotely opened the main entrance to the warehouse, and ran down the stairs of the observation deck toward the exit.  

"Benson!" Storm yelled when she saw him; unfortunately she was too far away to stop him from getting through the door in time.  He was about 30 feet away from freedom when Bishop stepped out from behind a tank and gave him a left hook that sent him flying back about 6 feet.  

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Get out of my way mutant!" Benson yelled as he climbed to his feet.

"Sorry – I don't do requests.  You're pretty tough!" Bishop replied.  "Most people would have been down for the count from a hit like that."

"I'm not most people, now get out of my way or you'll regret it!" he yelled as he rushed Bishop.  Bishop – not wanting to shoot an unarmed man – decided a quick physical reaction would suffice in settling the situation.  Benson tried to do the same flying tackle on Bishop that was so effective on Beast, but he was ready and easily dodged his attack while simultaneously flipping him – a basic judo move.

"You're a mutant!" Bishop yelled – noticing the amount of strength the 5'2, 140lb scientist had when he flipped him.  "How the hell can you do research on mutants when you're a mutant yourself!"

"I'm not a mutant!  I just know how to use mutant pow…"

**BLZZAP**

Just as he was finishing his sentence and preparing for another rush on Bishop, he was blindsided by yet another X-Man – the newly recovered Beast.  

"Try using THAT power!" he said as he blasted Benson against the wall and knocked him unconscious with an overpowered stun-gun – obviously one used to control the mutants that got out of hand.  "Like I said - 'turnabout is fair play.' Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I started to EXAMINE that disk!" he said as he grabbed it out of Benson's hand.

"Check him for devices – I'm sure he has something that amplifies his strength." Storm told Beast as she landed.

"Diabolically clever!" Beast commented when he saw a computerized band strapped to Benson's forearm.  "Undoubtedly the source of his strength." he said while pulling it off and examining it.

"What is it?" Bishop asked.  The device had a hinged cover on it – something Beast promptly opened.

"I'm not sure how he did it, but it appears he has tapped into the mutant power of this skin graft.  Ingenious!  The computer applications alone must have taken…"

"Jubilee!!!!!!!!!!!!" Logan yelled as he blindly ran through the tanks looking for her.  The last of the guards had already been taken care of and Logan was actively looking at every tank he could see – his rage still completely consuming him.

"We'll find her Logan!" Storm yelled in an attempt to pull him out of it.  "I promise we'll find her!"  She knew he hadn't heard her.  The only thing that would bring him back was finding Jubilee.

"The tenth row!" Beast yelled.

Logan was too enraged to hear him, but Storm picked up on what he said and immediately took to the air to locate the tenth row.  She located the row and landed between the first and second tank – neither of which contained Jubilee.  She quickly proceeded to the third and looked into it.  The mutant inside had her back facing Storm, preventing an easy identification.  All she could see was a woman with long black hair suspended in the tank's fluid.  She ran to the front of the tank and looked at the mutant's face.  Event through the SCUBA gear was on, Storm knew it was Jubilee.  

"Jubilee!" she yelled.  "Over here!  I've located her!"  She stood in front of the tank wondering how to get Jubilee out of it.  The monitor on the control panel spewed out a steady flow of Jubilee's vital signs but gave no clue how to free her.  

"Beast!  What do we do?" she asked as he and Bishop came running up.

"Let me see the controls."  He looked at them and punched in a few keystrokes.  "Hmmm…" he said as he scratched his head.  "It may be possible to just…"

"JUBILEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Logan yelled as he ran up to the tank. Storm didn't think it was possible, but his rage was tripled when he saw Jubilee's nude, unconscious body with electrodes stuck all over her in the tank.  He looked at her; his face in pure fear of what they had done to her.  "What'd they do to you Jubilee?!" he yelled while staring helplessly at her – both of his hands flat against the tank walls.

**SNIKT** 

"Wolverine don't!" Beast yelled.  "Let me study the tanks design before you…" 

"Graaaagh!" he yelled!

Before Beast could finish his sentence, Logan had already put two long slashes in the sides of the tank and was in the process of making cross section cuts.  In mere seconds a huge hole had been ripped into the tank and bio-fill was spilling out all over the warehouse.

With no fluid left, the tiny restraints holding Jubilee in place snapped, causing her to fall to the bottom of the tank.  Logan grabbed her and pulled her out.  He then cradled her in his arms and started wiping the bio-fill off her face.  Bishop and Beast stood by shocked – not believing that the man who just hacked and sliced through an entire army was now showing the care and compassion of…Ward Cleaver.  The only one that wasn't surprised was Storm.  Though she sometimes feared what might happen to him in his berserker rages, she always knew he had a heart of gold – especially when it came to the people he loved.  He'd shown it time and time again throughout the years; and ever since they started dating, she'd really seen the softer side of him.  

She'd also seen him put his own fears and problems aside many times to help those around him – that was something he was really good at.  This was one of those times - instead of getting lost in his rage, Jubilee's needs came first.

"Let me take a look at her Wolverine." Beast said as he approached.  It took a firm hand on his shoulder and another empathetic plea from Storm to get him to relinquish his father-like grip on her, but eventually he yielded.  

"Here, put this on her…" Bishop said as he handed Logan a lab coat.  "Got it off of Benson.  He won't be needing it anymore."  Logan wrapped her up in it but continued to hold her in his arms.  Beast looked at her eyes and quickly took her pulse and other vital signs.

"Most peculiar." He said.  "From what I can tell, her vital signs are all normal."

"How do we bring her out of it Hank?!" Logan asked.

"Let me try something" Beast replied while leaning over her.  "**WAKE UP!" he yelled into her ear, startling the other 3 X-Men.**

Jubilee's body jumped and groggily started moving.

"Jubilee?" Logan said as she started to stir.  

"Wolvie?" she sleepily said while trying to open her eyes.

"I'm here Jubilee.  I'm right here.  We're all here."  After a couple seconds, she opened her eyes and saw him.  She was still too tired to move, but she was aware of what was going on around her.

"I knew you'd come Wolvie.  I knew you'd save me."  she said while looking around at the rag-tag bunch of torn-up mutants.  "I knew you all would…" she mumbled before she fell asleep again.

"Jubilee?" Logan pleaded.

"She'll be okay Logan.  It'll take awhile for the drugs to wear off, but she'll be okay."

"Are you sure Beast?" Storm inquired.  "There won't be any lasting side-effects?"

"Nothing a hot shower and a long nap won't cure."

"Good.  Beast – go through the database, gather all the material you think you'll need to help us identify everybody.  We need to know how long they've been here and where they came from."

"We're not going to revive them?"

"Not yet.  We need more people here and I don't want the police brought in on this just yet.  I don't want the identities of these mutants getting out.  Bishop – check out the area and make sure it's secure.  I'll call the mansion and get some help out here.  We'll transport everybody back to Salem Center before reviving them."

Bishop and Beast took off in different directions.  Logan stayed with Jubilee and tried to make her as comfortable as possible.  Storm followed Beast back to the control room.  En route, she pulled out a cellular phone and called the mansion.

With the help of Cerebro, Professor Xavier was given a complete debriefing of the situation.  He agreed with Storm – bringing everyone back to Salem Center was the best thing to do.  He and Jean would also have the opportunity to communicate with all the mutants and explain everything that had happened to them before they were revived.  Within minutes he had dispatched Cyclops and every other available X-Man to Atwater.  Cyclops was bringing the Blackbird, the Blackbird II, and every minijet they had.  It would be a tight squeeze, but they would be able to transfer everyone back to the mansion. 

*****

_Ten minutes later…_

"Look who I found sneaking around outside!" Bishop yelled as he pulled Hartford in by his collar.  

"Hartford?  What were you doing outside? Storm inquired.

"I…I got worried.  I thought I heard gunfire and I came looking for you.  That's when HE grabbed me!" he said as he pointed a shaky finger at Bishop.

"Damn near shit in his pants!" Bishop said with a smirk.

"Well, I…I.  How would YOU have reacted if someone grabbed you from behind and pointed a gun the size of Miami at you?  I'm lucky I didn't have a heart attack!"

"Benson is still unconscious?" Storm asked.

"Yeah - out cold."

"Good.  Bring him to the control room and secure him there.  

Bishop brought Benson into the observation room.  A few minutes later, he awoke to a very disturbed Hartford and angry Storm.  

"How could you do it Benson?" Hartford said.  "How could you experiment on innocent human beings?

"They're not human!  They're mutants!"

"Mutants ARE humans Benson – with the same civil rights!" Storm replied to his bigoted remark.

"No they aren't.  They're freaks – dangerous freaks and we need to protect ourselves from them."

Thunder roared across the sky.  "It's people like you who have brought us to the brink of war Benson.  Your bigotry has caused thousands of deaths over the years – to both mutants and non-mutants alike.  You hate and fear what you don't understand, and for that reason you want to control it – to control other people.  When will you realize that you're just hurting yourself?"

"That's not true Arowlyn.  It's those mutants – mutants like Kim Lee and your blue friend there that are the dangerous ones."

"What have they done to you?!" she commanded in a voice full of anger and disgust.

"It's not what they HAVE done to me, it's what they WILL do to me if we don't stop them!"

"Anything they MIGHT do to you would be a response to what you've done to them.  Look out there – look at all the people you kidnapped.  Look at all the lives you destroyed!  What would they do to you right now if they were awake?  Perhaps we should find out!  Or perhaps I should let Wolverine deal with you!"  Her comment prompted Beast to turn around.  The thunder outside was so loud it shook the walls, and he'd never heard Storm talk like that before.  "When you kidnapped Kim, you kidnapped the wrong girl!"

"Wolverine?  Who is he?  Another dangerous mutant?"

"He's dangerous alright, but not because he's a mutant – because you kidnapped his…OUR little girl!  If the parents of all those mutants were here, I doubt if even WE could stop them from killing you.  I doubt if I would even try."

"Storm…calm down." Beast somewhat frightfully said.  "We don't need a tornado…please restrain yourself."

"Is that thunder coming from you?  Are you a mutant?  I should have known!  You're one of those freak mutants too!  You should ALL be destroyed!" he yelled.

"That's the love of my life yer insultin' Bub...one of the FEW people on this planet I'm willin' ta die fer." Logan yelled as he walked up the stairs of the control center.  "But the question is...ARE YOU?  Cuz yer about to..." 

"Wolverine – No!" Storm yelled.  "The Justice System will decide his fate - not you, and not me!"

**SNIKT**

"NO!  His fate's already been decided – by these!" Logan growled as he approached Benson and gave him a good view of things to come.

"Wolverine!  NO!" Storm commanded.

"Outta my way Storm – this is between me and Mr. _'I like ta fuck with mutant's lives but now um gonna die a slow, painful death' Kidnapper there."_

"There's been enough death tonight!"

"Not yet there hasn't!"

"I'm in command of this mission and I say it ends right here, right now!  Stand down Wolverine!" she yelled with an authority that filled the room.

Her words stopped him dead in his tracks.  He had come so close to losing one of the most important women in his life, now his actions threatened to hurt another.  He knew how she felt about killing people and he knew his actions would really hurt her.  As much as he wanted to end Benson's miserable life, his brand of justice would not be served that day.

**SLIKT**

"You don't know how lucky you are Bub!" he growled as he turned and walked back to Jubilee.

"You REALLY don't know how lucky you are!" Hartford told him.  "That guy is an animal!  And SHE isn't too far behind!" he said as he pointed to Storm.

"Her?" he laughed as she approached him.  She wouldn't be so special if she didn't have those three big guys with her.

"REALIZE THIS BENSON!" the nearly 6' tall weather goddess growled as she picked him up by his collar and slammed him against the wall.  "I've taken down mutants AND humans far more powerful than you could ever imagine.  You do NOT pose a threat to me!" she said with an air of confidence that ensured Benson she knew exactly what she was talking about.  "I just saved your miserable and pathetic life."  She pinned him to the wall with her left hand and held her right hand out so he could see the energy emanating from it.  "But no matter what the courts say, if I EVER hear of you experimenting on mutants again – or anybody for that matter – **we WILL meet again, and you WILL die!"  Energy started emanating from her left hand as well – not as much as her right, but definitely enough to burn the skin around his neck.  He looked into her demon-like white eyes and realized exactly how finite his life had just become.**

She gave him a very disgusted look and turned her back to him – leaving him to Beast.  Bishop - who was now dragging 2 more guards behind him – looked up to see what he had missed.

"Is that it?  Where are the rest?" Storm inquired.

"Except for the ones we took out earlier, the rest are either dead or hightailing it out of here."

"By the goddess…" she sighed as she realized the magnitude of the night's events.  Sure it was a combat zone, and when someone points a gun at you, someone usually dies.  But death and destruction always bothered her – the senselessness of it all.  

She went back to check on Jubilee and Wolverine.  Logan had taken off his BDU jacket (what was left of it) and buttoned it around her along with the lab coat Bishop gave her.  She was still asleep and Logan was still holding her like she was his baby girl – despite the fact that she was 2 inches taller than him.

Storm could see the wound from the 20mm gun and immediately became worried that it wasn't healing as fast as it should have been.  The bleeding had slowed to a trickle, but it was still a pretty serious injury.  She went back to the control room and located a first aid kit.  Logan was still holding Jubilee when she came up behind him and started cleaning his injury.  He didn't even flinch when she pressed an alcohol soaked pad against it.  She knew he was so familiar with pain that he sometimes ignored it, but she also knew that if he had reached that point, his mental state was pretty far from normal.  She wondered what the future repercussions of the night's events on him might be – the connection to his past, the fear of losing Jubilee, Tasha and Kitty, the many mutants around him in experimental tanks…everything.  Surely if anything could push him over the edge it was this.

"Thanks Ro." he softly said to her without turning around.

"Logan?" she asked.

"Thanks for what you tried to do here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tryin' ta keep me from seein' this place – from blowin' my top."

"You're welcome Logan."

"I ain't always good at followin' orders; and missions like this make it difficult when ya ain't got a team player on board.  I didn't always understand your orders Ro, but I always trusted you."

"I know Logan, and had the situation been reversed; I would have trusted you my love."  

"I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here Storm.  Jubilee coulda disappeared forever."

"You would have found her – I have no doubt about that."

"What I said earlier – about Kitty.  I didn't mean it.  I know you care as much about Jubilee as I..."

"Shhh…" she said empathetically.  "How is your wound?"

"I'll live."

"I have no doubt about that, but I still want to make sure you're okay.  You may be tough, but that was a pretty big bullet you got hit with.  How's your healing factor?"

"Slow, but functional.  Don't worry 'bout me."

"Logan my love, if I don't worry about you…who WILL I worry about?"

"I'm okay…"

"You know, not everybody can say that after being shot with an anti-aircraft gun…Pastrami or egg salad?"

"Pastrami – with extra mustard."

"Put this on her." Storm said as she took off her BDU jacket.  It's in better condition than yours…I'll see if Bishop can round up something else for her."

"Shit 'Ro – you okay?" he asked with an air of concern.  He noticed how much she favored her left side when she took her jacket off.  He also saw a small trickle of dried blood on the side of her mouth.

"Pastrami on rye won't fix it; but yes, I'm okay…nothing a month or two of relaxation with a certain someone and his guitar won't cure."

"That's my Snowflake…The perimeter's secured?"

"A few guards got away, but considering how illegal this operation was, I don't think they'll be running to the police.  Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men should be here soon."

"Takin' everybody back to the mansion?"

"Yes, to protect their identities."

"Heh – Chuck'll love ya…fillin' up his house like that."

"You should have heard Scott's reaction when I told him to start collecting all the jeans and T-Shirts he could find.  It'll only be for a short time though – until everyone is awake and physically evaluated.  Why don't you bring Jubilee to the control room?  I saw a table there that you can lay her on; and there are some chair pads you can use to make her more comfortable."

"Benson gone?"

"He will be…."

"Arowlyn?" a voice shyly said from behind her.  She turned around to see Hartford standing there.

"Yes Hartford?"

"Um…I take it you aren't really a college professor?"

"No I'm not." she laughed.  "What gave it away?  My BDU's?"

"Um…that and the fact that you're in command of…of a small ARMY it seems like."

"What you call an 'army' I call family."

"I understand.  Mutants stick together don't they?"

"We have to – in a world that hates and fears us, we have to protect ourselves."

"So you were undercover or something?  Are you a cop?"

"No, not a cop.  Just someone sent to investigate the disappearance of these mutants."

"Now that you've found them, will you be leaving?"

"Yes – probably after the quarter ends.  It wouldn't be fair to the students to leave before then."

"Do you have to?"

"You don't mind me being a mutant?"

"Well, I didn't like almost being killed by your husband there, OR having the shit scared out of me by you and your friend with the guns, but no – I don't care about you being a mutant.  I think you're the best thing to hit the university since…well since me."

"Watch it Bub – that's my WIFE you're hittin' on!" Logan said as he picked up Jubilee and headed for the control room.

"Oh no Logan.  I didn't mean anything like that.  I just meant…I really enjoy her friendship and think she's a wonderful faculty member."

"Really?" Storm inquired with a smile.

"Yes, and I really enjoy our conversations."

Logan growled at him as he walked by, but the smile Storm gave him told him he was safe.  

"We'll talk more about this later Hartford.  Right now, could you help Hank?  I'm sure he could use a hand at figuring out exactly what Benson did here."

"Oh – sure!"

"But Hartford – this research cannot get out.  Eventually we'll have to destroy the data – you realize that right?"

"Yes, I know that.  No matter how far he progressed, I couldn't use his information – not knowing how he sacrificed mut…people's civil rights and destroyed lives to get it.  It's wrong – so very wrong."

"You're a good scientist Hartford…AND a good friend."

"Thank you Arowlyn."

For the next 3 hours, Hartford and Beast scoured the computer database.  They retrieved information on what experiments were done, how they were conducted, how each mutant responded, and detailed information on each mutant's powers.  In a separate database they found a list of names and mutant powers.  It took awhile, but Beast finally merged the two databases and matched mutants up with their abilities.  There were a few that had similar powers, but he eventually worked it out.  

He had just finished correlating all the information on disks when he heard the unmistakable sound of the Blackbird's engines flying overhead.  

"What's that?" Hartford asked.

"A very welcome sound – friends from afar." Beast responded.

"There are more of you?"

"You might say that."

"I heard of phantom mutant groups but never thought I'd meet anybody from one."

"You haven't Hartford – we're just a group of friends that like to hang out together.  We're attracted to each other by our common goals that's all."

"A group of friends eh?  With your own jet?"

"It cuts down on the hassles we usually get at airports."

**Next chapter and epilogue coming soon**


	10. Reflections

***** 

Return of the Firecracker

The next day was a bit trying for all the X-Men.  Beast went back to Salem Center to oversee the care of the recovered students.  Storm, Wolverine, and Bishop returned to Davis with Jubilee.  Jubilee slept the entire day – waking up for an occasional sip of juice then quickly falling back to sleep.  Beast told everyone it would take awhile for the anesthesia to wear off, but it was still tough to see the little firecracker asleep for so long.  During one of her few waking moments, Storm brought her some hot soup and a sandwich, but she fell asleep shortly after the first bite.  The rest of her food sat there the entire day.  Even Bishop became a bit worried.  

The next morning the whole house was awoken abruptly at 4:17am by a very familiar voice. "Where are the Coco Puffs!  Where is the pizza?" Jubilee yelled from the kitchen.  "I've been asleep for 2 days, cold soup and a sandwich ain't gonna cut it!  I need some serious junk food!"

As the house came awake with activity, the atmosphere lightened to a familiar joy that only Jubilee could bring.  With Jubilee recovered, things started returning to normal, the mood of all the X-Men lightened tremendously.

"Bottom cabinet on the left child." Storm said with a motherly, appreciative smile.  

"Score!" Jubilee yelled as she spotted 2 boxes of Coco Puffs in the back of the cabinet.

"Logan thought you might like something familiar when you woke up so he bought those for you last night.  Would you like anything else?"

"Yeah, I'd kill for a chili dog – or perhaps a pepperoni and sausage pizza; and some lasagna!"

"For breakfast?"

"I haven't eaten in 2 days – I need to catch up on 6 meals…plus snacks!"

"Pepperoni sounds good ta me." Logan smirked as he walked into the kitchen.  "But ain't no pizzerias open this time o' mornin' Darlin.  Howzabout I fire up the grill and cue up a mess o' meat?"

"Great!  We can do shiska-bob too Wolvie!"

It was definitely an X-morning.  Things were far outside the norm but had a very familial touch to them – especially when Logan donned his "Kiss the chef's ASS!" BBQ apron and cranked up the grill.

***** 

This is my HOUSE – not a hotel!

Back at Salem Center, things were a lot busier – and more serious.  The X-men were tending to all of the recovered mutants and making sure everything was okay.  Every available X-man had something to keep them busy, from Professor X all the way down to Gambit – who would have preferred to help Beast with examinations but was instead assigned to shopping and locating family members.

"What is this Beast?" Professor Xavier said as he looked at his financial statements. "A $4,871.26 charge at Gap?  Here's another for $2,134 at Old Navy and one for $1,915 at Banana Republic.  What are all these charges for?"

"I'm sorry Professor, it gets a bit expensive providing clothes for nearly 60 people."

"Yes I imagine it does, but couldn't you have gone shopping at K-Mart or something?"

"These are the perils of benevolence Professor.  I suggest you have a talk with Rogue and Gambit – They are responsible for all the shopping." Beast replied with a slight snicker.

"When I started this endeavor, I had no idea I would end up providing for every wayward child that came through our door. " he sighed. "In any case, how is everything going?"

"I just finished the last physical.  Everyone checks out fine – no long-term or permanent injuries.  They're all still a bit dazed, but that's to be expected…they'll probably be back to normal in a day or two when the anesthetic wears off.  We were very fortunate.  I was afraid that being immobile for so long would create a significant amount of muscular atrophy but it was kept to a minimum.  Apparently Benson and the other scientists involved were afraid that atrophy would degrade their mutant abilities so they kept muscular decay very low.  

It's also a good thing Storm had everyone brought back her before they woke up.  Your psi link really prepared them for what to expect.  I imagine waking up and seeing my pretty blue face after being kidnapped might be a little hard to explain; and with all that latent mutant energy, there most definitely would have been a 'situation.'"

"Yes, a 'situation' is a good way of putting it, and I'm sure there would have been a much more sizable credit card bill to 'fix' that situation."

Rogue and Gambit had contacted all but 6 families, and several parents had already made the journey out to Salem Center to be reunited with their children.  Beast told them that he wanted to keep the students there for a few more days just to make sure everyone fully recovered.  Though they were very appreciative of the effort, they really wanted to take their children back home. Professor Xavier convinced them it was for their own good though, selling them on the point that they probably wouldn't find medical care as good as Beast anywhere else in the US.  All in all, it went rather smoothly.

He seemed to really enjoy the satisfaction of a completed mission – especially one like this.  He was especially pleased to see the tearful and joyous reunions of the families and their missing children.  He knew several of the parents had shunned their mutant kids before the kidnappings; but the tragedy of the kidnappings made them realize how fragile life really was and how important it was to love each other.  It was indeed the only good thing to come out of the whole ordeal.  It was just unfortunate that it took a tragedy like that to bring people to their senses.

Naturally the parents and students had a lot of questions; unfortunately Professor Xavier was short on answers.  He wished he could give them the answers they sought, but there just wasn't enough information.  He promised to keep in close contact with everyone as information became available.

With the reunification of the mutants slowly but surely progressing, it was time to focus on other matters – the mission.  Beast was put in charge of the scientific side of all the data they collected, and his orders were simple – figure out what had been done to the mutants, see if any of that data pointed the finger at any other scientists or organizations, then destroy all the data.  Storm had the more difficult task – she had to search through all the non-scientific data and try to ascertain the identities of everyone involved.  With an operation as well-planned as this one, she knew it would be difficult.  

She also had plans to visit Lisa Johnston – something Wolverine really wanted her to do.  It was a meeting she looked forward to but also dreaded.  Lisa's physical injuries healed easily; but the psychological damage would have serious repercussions and Storm knew she would have a long and bumpy road ahead.

***** 

A new friend

"Hi Lisa, my name is Ororo; Ororo Munroe.  It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too Miss Munroe." Lisa eagerly said. "Mr. Jacobs told me all about you.  I've really been looking forward to seeing you two.  Where is he?  I thought you two would be coming together."

"Logan?  He's spending some time with another special young lady that went through something very similar.  He'll visit you as soon as he gets a chance – he promises."

"Someone else went through something similar?  You mean he found others?"

"Yes Lisa, we found quite a few others.  Thanks in large to you and your bravery; a lot of other young men and women are now being reunited with their families and friends.  You know, you remind me a lot of Jubilee – the young lady Logan is with right now.  I was told you two resembled each other, but you two could be sisters.  You even have a similar demeanor."

"Someone looks like me?  Interesting.  She must be pretty!" she giggled.  "I'd like to meet her someday."

"That would be a very good idea Lisa."

"When you found the others, did you find out who was responsible for the kidnappings and…the other stuff?"

"We're still looking for everyone responsible, but we've made quite a bit of progress.  Your kidnapping was part of a very large operation.  Rounding up everyone involved will take time, but rest assured – they will all be brought to justice.  Logan will see to that personally"

"Are you a cop Miss Munroe?"

"No Lisa, I am not a cop." Storm said with a very empathetic voice.  "I'm just someone who watches out for special people and makes sure nobody takes advantage of their unique gifts – of YOUR unique gift."

"You mean my mutant powers don't you?"

"Yes, your mutant abilities - something we both share."

"Really?  You're a mutant?"

"Yes I am."

"What kind of power do you have?"

"My gift is rather complex.  I can control certain aspects of nature's elements."

 "Really?"

"Yes – I can manipulate weather - creating precipitation and generating storms upon demand; but there'll be plenty of time to talk about me later - let's talk about you Lisa."

"You don't like too many people knowing you're a mutant?"

"I don't like the wrong people knowing.  If it's the right person, it doesn't matter.  That's why I shared my secret with you.  When you're among friends and family who love you and accept you for who you are, you can be yourself – that's when you see what a truly wonderful gift your mutant abilities are.  It is also when you learn the most about yourself."

"You think so?"

"I know so, That is also why Logan also shared his secret with you – so we can all develop a special bond and talk more intimately about our lives.  Soon, you'll know more people you can talk to – people who are going through the same thing you're going through.  You'll feel better about yourself and you'll feel better about where your life is headed."

"Really?  You know of other mutants that speak freely about their lives?"

"Yes child, many people.  You're in for quite a surprise.  But we'll talk more about them in due time.  Right now I want to talk to you about the circumstances surrounding your kidnapping.  I also want to learn more about you and how you've been doing since then."

They sat and chatted for a while.  Storm told Lisa all the details about the warehouse and everything they found there.  Lisa had difficulty listening to some of the details, but it was information she needed to hear.  A big part of the healing process was knowing all the circumstances surrounding the event, and Storm knew that.  It really helped her come to terms with what had happened.  Every step of the way, Storm gave her reassuring touches to let her know everything would be okay.

"You know Miss Munroe, at first I didn't want to talk about it.  I was looking forward to your visit, but wasn't looking forward to discussing the whole ordeal.  But I feel better now.  There is something really genuine about you – you're very easy to trust and open up to.  You seem to really understand what I'm going through.

"Thank you Lisa."

"Before, I thought if I ignored what happened to me, it wouldn't bother me.  But whenever I lay in bed, I start thinking about it then I start crying.  I think I really do need to talk about some of the frightening thoughts that have been going through my mind – if you really don't mind."

"I don't mind at all."

It took awhile for Lisa to really open up and let her emotions out, but Storm's calm disposition and caring touch really helped ease her mind.  Once she let her guard down, the tears and emotions really came forward.

"**WHY** did they do this to me?"

"That is a question many mutants ask every day Lisa.  There are as many answers as there are people."

"But I never did anything to them.  I didn't even know them.  I didn't even use my mutant powers.  I tried to hide them."

"You did NOTHING wrong Lisa. People often fear what they don't understand.  That fear drives them to hatred.  Hatred drives them to do bad things and try to control other people's lives."

"But I wouldn't have hurt them…I would never have done anything to hurt them."

"I know Lisa, I know.  That's what makes crimes like these so bad.  We'll get through this – you, me, your family…all of us together.  It will take time, but we'll get through this.  I promise."

"The doctor Mr. Jacobs brought to see me…Henry…he told me I had been pregnant before.  Have you found anything else about the…my baby?"

"I'm sorry Lisa, we have not.  It appears several of the women were impregnated, but all the children were taken to another site.  We're still trying to find that site."

"Do you think the baby is still alive?"

"I think that based on the evidence, all babies born at the warehouse are probably still alive."

"I never thought about being a mother before – except when I was a little girl.  When I got to college, I concentrated on completing my classes, that was it.  But to think that somewhere out there is my own baby – a living, breathing part of me!"

"I know child…it's a horrible thought.  But we won't rest until we've found everyone and these experiments have been stopped."

Storm and Lisa sat and talked for 2 and a half hours.  It did Lisa a lot of good to be able to talk openly about being a mutant and about some of the things that went through her mind when she started seeing how mutants were treated.  She never talked with her parents about it because she knew it bothered them, but it really depressed her not having someone to talk to about the things she was going through.  This was a long-overdue conversation for her.  She did a lot of crying and Storm did a lot of listening and hugging.  Storm then took her for a nice long ride up the coast.  Highway 1 ran right  along the coast and provided some beautiful and very secluded scenery.

"Why are we here Miss Munroe?  I mean it's beautiful, but why so far away from the city?"

"There's something I want to show you.  Actually – it's something I want you to experience." She said as they exited the car and started walking up the beach.  

"What?"

"Take my hand child." 

As soon as she took Storm's hand, a gust of wind lifted both of them off the ground.  Lisa was completely caught by surprise, but Storm's demeanor and control over the wind quickly calmed her.  Before Lisa knew it, the two of them were flying over the ocean enjoying the crisp sea air.  To Storm, it was a natural homecoming; but to Lisa, the experience really opened her eyes about being a mutant – and about living life to it's fullest.  She never experienced being totally free like that.  Storm took her on several loops and gave her a real bird's eye view of the planet that few humans ever saw.  They flew for about 15 minutes – 15 wonderful minutes.  When they landed, Lisa had a wide-eyed liberated look on her face.

"That was GREAT!" she yelled.  "You can do that anytime you want?  You must have so much fun!"

"It has its advantages." she chuckled.

"I can't believe it!  It was so exciting!  I felt like a bird!"  It felt good to see Lisa smile.  Storm knew this was something she hadn't done in awhile and it felt good to bring it out of her.  "I feel GREAT!" Lisa yelled as she took off running up the beach.  She took off so fast Storm almost didn't see her.  Before Lisa knew it, she was a quarter mile away.  She turned around and headed back toward Storm.  "WEEEEEEEEEE!" she yelled as she blew past Storm and ran about a quarter mile in the other direction.  For the next 10 minutes, she ran up and down the beach – exploring the full potential of her mutant powers.  When she finally stopped to rest, she had a completely content smile on her face.

"I never knew being a mutant could be so fun!"

"That's what happens when you EMBRACE your mutant powers, instead of suppressing them.  Your gift is as much a part of you as your arm or your leg.  Suppressing it only suppresses your own feelings…your very essence."

"Miss Munroe – this is so wonderful."

"Yes it is."

"I felt so FREE!  I've never felt that before!"

They wrapped up the evening with a good talk on the drive back to Lisa's house.  Storm planned to meet with her several more times, but it was clear that Lisa felt a lot better even though this was their first meeting.  She also invited Lisa to come visit her and Logan in Davis for a couple days – something she readily accepted.  They then hugged and Storm headed back to Davis.

_Meanwhile, in Sacramento…_

"Thank you for taking me shopping Wolvie.  Those creeps that kidnapped me dumped my stuff who knows where!  It's a good thing I didn't bring ALL my clothes from the academy! It took like a zillion trips to second-hand stores to get that authentic retro look!  But you know what, I really miss my leather jacket the most."

"You mean MY leather jacket?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Yah Jubes, I know…" Logan said as they put the rest of her shopping bags in his truck and headed for the nearest Outback Steakhouse. After they settled into their dinner Logan began to talk.

"Anything you wanna talk about Jubes?"

"Yeah, the Gap is having a sale tomorrow.  Can we come back?"

"I mean about what happened to you.  Is there anything you want to talk about what happened in Atwater?"

"No not really."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"Yeah Wolvie, I'm okay.  I knew you and Storm would find me.  I wasn't worried at all.  I kinda feel bad that some creep got the better of me in the locker room.  You taught me better than that – he shouldn't have been able to sneak up on my like that.  But other than that, I'm fine."

"Sometimes I don't give you enough credit Jubes."

"Yeah, you practically raised me…and when you're raised by the toughest guy around, you become pretty tough yourself!"  

"Ain't that the truth!"

"I hear YOU got all weirded out when I was missing."

"I didn't get "WEIRDED OUT."  I was just a little concerned – that's all."

"Concerned?  Yeah right – I heard you almost took Professor Ballister's head off."

"I did not – I just roughed him up a little."

"I heard you were close to one of your berserker rages.  He didn't deserve that you know.  I hear he helped find me."

"Yeah, he did…and I apologized for roughing him up…sorta."

"What'd you do?  Offer him a beer?"

"Um…"

"Wolvie!"

"He knows…" Logan spouted as he gnawed on a piece of steak.  "Alright already – I'll send 'em a Hallmark…they got somethin' for every occasion right?  So I went a little crazy.  Excuse me!  You may not be my own flesh and blood, but you're every bit a part of me little girl!"

"Thanks Wolvie, that's really sweet."  She especially liked hearing him call her his little girl.

She let him finish his steak before asking him her next question.  "You and Storm gonna stick around for awhile?"

"Yeah – until the quarter ends…Storm really wants to finish up with the kids.  She also needs ta recuperate – she had 3 broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung."

"Yeah, she told me.  You couldn't tell by the way she acts though."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Every time I see her, she gives me a huge hug.  She hugs me so tightly I can barely breathe!  She doesn't get all weepy-eyed or anything, but she's definitely different."

"Well, that's expected.  Just because she doesn't fly off the handle like I do doesn't mean she doesn't care.  She loves you every bit as much as I do, and just because she hasn't said it; she thinks of you as her daughter – her own flesh and blood.  The thought of losing you must have been pretty frightening for her."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

"But she faces death all the time – all of you do.  I've never seen her change like this before."

"Its different Jubes.  You don't expect yer kids ta go before you.  Its the worse thing a parent can go through – especially in this case."

"Why? What's so special about THIS case?"

"She chose you for the mission.  It was her job ta protect you.  When you disappeared, she thought she failed as a parent AND as a field commander."

"I never thought of it that way."

"You also didn't see her blast through that wall.  I think she woulda taken on Apocalypse bare-handed if she had to."

"Wow!"

"Wow is right kid!  There was sumpn' stirrin' in her that I ain't ever seen the likes of.  People fear me when I get angry, but from what I saw in her eyes, I ain't the one ta fear!  Hell hath no fury like the woman Storm! Oh, she expects you to be in class bright and early Monday morning!"

"Sheesh – you'd think she'd give me a break considering all I've been through!"

"She said 3 days is enough – its time ta get back on the saddle…besides, she doesn't want you ta miss her midterm.  Here's the study list." he smirked as he gave Jubilee a steno pad full of things to study.

"Geez!"

They finished their dinner and sat back and relaxed for a while; Logan then excused himself from the table.

"Gotta see a man about a horse…" he said as he walked out.  He returned a few minutes later with a large nicely wrapped box.

"What's this?" Jubilee asked as he handed it to her.

"A box…open it."

"Wolvie!!!!!!!!!!!!" she squealed as she opened her gift and saw a brand new leather jacket.

"Figured you might be needin' a new one." he said with a smirk.

She hugged him tightly and happily put on her knew jacket.  They then happily headed back to Davis.  Even Logan had a smile on his face.

**Epilogue coming soon – I promise!**


	11. Epilogue

That'll put a smile on yer face…

_Later on the same evening…_

"Hey Darlin'" Logan smiled, as he walked into the house and gave Storm a kiss.

"You're in a good mood."

"Kissin' a beautiful lady'll do that to a fella."

"Well thank you." she replied with a smile.  "How was dinner?"

"The only thing that beats a good rare steak is a good rare steak and a beer – Outback had plenty o' both.  How was yer meeting with Lisa?"

"It went very well.  She's quite an extraordinary young lady."

"Yeah, she is."

"We accomplished a lot today and I think our next meeting will be even better.  She's also looking forward to seeing you again and possibly meeting Jubilee."

"Yeah, I'll stop by soon.  A meeting with Jubilee huh? That might be a good idea; but we'll talk about that later - we gotta go."

"We?  Where?"

"It's a surprise…grab yer jacket and yer helmet."

"Woo, I like it already." she said with an air of excitement.

As they headed out the door, Storm noticed Logan's guitar strapped to the back of his bike.  That put her in an even better mood.  A couple minutes later they were westbound – headed to Lake Berryessa.  They made it just in time to see the sun set.

"Its beautiful Logan…" Storm said as she stood on the lakeshore and watched the sun go down over the Napa Valley hills.

"Sheer Stupefyin' if ya ask me." he replied.  "Have a sit-down while I pull out the booze."

"Booze?"

"Yeah, ya know…the hooch.  You like Thunderbird right?" he said as he pulled a small bag from his saddlebags.

"Thunderbird?!"

"What?  Thunderbird too rough for yer delicate palate?  Wrap yer lips around this then." he boasted while proudly showing off a very expensive bottle of Dom Perignon and some gourmet cheese to match.  

"Logan!  How romantic! You MUST be in a good mood…" she giggled. "you RARELY spend more than $3 on wine."

After toasting each other and filling up on cheese, Storm nestled into Logan's arms and they sat there talking well into the night.  Even the crisp air couldn't spoil it for them.

"So why are you in such a good mood Logan?"

"Priorities…"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning this mission was long and hard, but it made me take a good long look at my priorities."

"Any new conclusions?"

"I knew what they were before, just needed a reminder of how important they were to me."

"Such as?"

"Such as you.  Such as Jubilee.  Such as Lisa and the other mutants we rescued.  Such as Tasha and Kitty.  Such as the reason Charlie brought us all together in the first place..."

"I see."

"I keep thinkin' bout seeing Jubilee and those kids in those cylinders.  I keep seein' images of people I care about in there – you, Tasha, the other X-Men…and every time I think about it, it makes my blood boil – right down to the adamantium!"

"I feel the same way Logan.  I was a little nervous about what this mission would do to you.  I thought the mental scars of seeing all those kids in those cylinders would drive you crazy.  But I see now that I wasn't giving you enough credit.  You kept your cool all throughout the mission."

"No, you gave me enough credit.  You just underestimated your significance in it."

"MY significance?"

"I'm as tough as they come – there's no doubtin' that, but when it comes to mental strength; nobody beats you Ro.  You keep me grounded.  You keep the TEAM grounded.  That's what you did in that warehouse."

"I do? I did?"

"Yeah, you're the only one that's ever been able to calm me down from one o' my berserker rages; and you proved there that you can stop 'em from even startin'.  That takes a lot – a WHOLE lot."

"Thank you Logan."

"So whaddya think about this whole thing Darlin'?"

"I think this mission was tough on several levels, but in a way – it was also enlightening."

"Yeah – you really seem to take a likin' ta livin' out here."

"Why wouldn't I?  I get to educate bright young minds in a beautiful town like Davis, surrounded by beautiful natural areas like this, all while living sooo close to the Ocean."

"Yeah, you took to this mission like it was yer callin'."

"I really enjoy teaching.  It's so nice to be able to EDUCATE people instead of always fighting their ignorance.  I see all those bright, young faces and know that I can do some good teaching them how to make this a better world - both for themselves and for their children."

"You ain't thinkin' about stayin' out here are ya?"

"I'll admit, the thought HAS crossed my mind Logan.  I really like this peaceful, **NORMAL** life.  The truth is, I wish the whole world were as peaceful as it is here; but the reality of it is that it isn't.  Just as this mission proved, there are evil people out there willing to do evil things; and my job – **OUR** job – is to stop them.  Had we not been here, those children could have ended up dead.  I wish I could, but no Logan, I won't stay here.  I know where I'm needed.  But hopefully someday, I'll be able to come back here and finish what I started."

"That's good Darlin' – I hope that day comes soon – but I want a better job next time!"

"You don't like your cover?"

"It ain't that I don't like it.  It's just that roughnecks like me are like a fish outta water in situations like this.  I need somethin' I can sink my teeth into."

"You can always try teaching."

"What the flamin'?"

"You did quite well when you spoke at the class…you're a natural born leader, and the kids know you're genuine.  I think you can do a lot of good."

"Yeah, if you say so Darlin'." He smirked. "But right now we got other important things ta concentrate on."

"Such as?"

"Such as finding out what happened to Lisa's baby."

"Yes, I know.  I've been thinking a lot about that lately…"

"But I didn't bring ya out here to think about that…" he said as he stole a quick kiss.

They both realized their conversation had gotten too serious and chose to cuddle instead.  There would be plenty of time to concentrate on the rest of the mission; this however was the time to concentrate on them and their relationship, and Logan knew exactly how to do that.  He retrieved his guitar and started serenading Storm in true rebel fashion – with his rough and rowdie yet soft and very dedicated voice.  This was the essence of who he was when he got away from being an X-Man for a while and relaxed.  It was a side of him that very few people ever saw – outside Storm and Jubilee.  Storm loved it when he got like this – which was all too rare during this particular mission.  She was also really glad to know that the mission had no lasting psychological effects on him – except putting him in a pretty romantic mood. They spent quite a bit a time in each other's arms and used the rest of the evening for some quality "together" time.  Storm even joined him in a couple songs.

_Two days later Wolverine, Jubilee, and Bishop sat at a conference table awaiting Storm's arrival. As she approached, they could tell she had bad news._

"There are 2 more labs!" she said as she tossed 3 identical packets on the table.

"What?" everyone yelled as they each grabbed a copy and looked at the data.

"That's what the data shows…one lab similar to Castle and one designed for infants."

"Where!" Logan yelled.

"Unknown…Whoever orchestrated this knew how to cover their tracks."

 "What about Benson?" Bishop asked.  "Did he say anything useful?"

"Yes he did.  When he saw the number of charges against him piling up, he decided cooperation was in his best interest.  He told us the names of the other scientist involved at the Castle lab.  He also gave us detailed information about their setup."

"In exchange for?" Logan asked.

"In exchange for an undisclosed prison location."

"Hah!" Logan snorted.  "He's afraid the mutants he kidnapped will come after his sorry ass ain't he?"

"You could say that."

"He didn't give any more information about the other labs?" Bishop asked.

"He didn't know anything about the other labs.  All that information was kept from him…in the event he was captured.  He did confirm the physical identity of a man we saw on several security tapes though – the one in charge of everything."

"Who is he?" All three X-Men asked.

"Nobody knows.  Benson referred to him as 'Old Man.' That's all we know about him.  Professor Xavier is cross-referencing his picture with all the files we have in cerebro, but he doesn't expect to find anything."

"Damn!" Logan grunted.

Now that we know what we're up against, Professor Xavier wants to coordinate the search for the other 2 labs from Salem Center.  Bishop, you report back immediately.  The rest of us will stay behind."

"What?!" Logan exclaimed.  "Why is Chuck takin' us out the game?"

"Professor Xavier thinks I need to recuperate and wants me to stay out here for a few more months.  Beast and Cyclops will lead the investigation from this point. You are to stay with me and help me recuperate – Professor Xavier was VERY specific about that.  We'll stay connected with the investigation from here." Logan grunted his disapproval at handing the mission off to One-eye, but the thought of spending time with Storm appealed to him.

"What about me?" Jubilee asked.  "What do you want ME to do?"

"I want YOU to start studying.  YOU have a quiz Wednesday."

"Storm!  I want to help."

"You've already done enough – now its time to study.  Once we have more information, we'll call you."

"But…"

"You heard the lady Jubes…no buts except yers parked in front o' yer books."

"We all agree about this Jubilee.  It's time for you to focus on your future.  This is as good a place as any to start…at least until the end of this quarter – maybe the end of this school year. 

Storm was a little upset that she wouldn't be taking the lead on the next investigation, but the Professor was right – she needed to recuperate, and staying in Davis would help her do just that.  Her ribs were on the mend but it would be awhile before she was combat ready.  Cyclops and the other X-Men were more suited for the next mission, and she knew it.  This would also give her a chance to wrap up everything in Davis and possibly investigate any west coast leads that came up.  She also wanted to finish what she started with Lisa Johnston.  She hated to admit it, but staying awhile was a really good idea.

*****

A couple days later, lunch with a good friend… 

"Hartford!  How are you doing?" Storm asked as she and Logan sat down at a patio table at Café Italia.

"Will Mr. Bishop be joining us?" he sarcastically said.

"No – he couldn't make it."

"In that case, I'm fine!" he responded, thinking back to the rather large mutant with his rather large guns.  "How are your ribs?"

"Sore, but mending…I'm not as "durable" as Logan, but I'll recover."

"That's good to hear. How are YOU doing Logan?" he asked.

"Can't complain…you wanna beer?  I'm buyin'."

"Sure, Michelob." Hartford said – not quite knowing how to respond to Logan's unusual friendliness.

"Two Micks and a white wine spritzer!" Logan yelled to the approaching waiter in a lightly festive voice.  "Ballister," he then said with a more serious tone denoting something important he wanted to get off his chest. "You mighta guessed that I ain't the most level-headed person around – especially when it comes to the people I care about."

"Um, I…well…"

"Don't worry – I ain't gonna hurt ya.  I just wanted ta apologize for roughin' ya up last week.  You didn't deserve it, and I appreciate all yer help in gettin' Jubilee back to us.  The truth is, you're a good guy, and I'm sorry fer almost takin' yer head off in yer office."

"Well, Logan.  I'm very glad you, um, didn't take my head off either, I'm rather attached to it.  And I suppose if I were in your situation where I was missing someone special and was faced with all the information you had on my research, I would have done the same thing…though maybe not as dramatically."

"Thanks Bub."

The waiter brought their drinks and Hartford raised a glass to Storm.  "Here's to you and your friends rescuing all those missing kids.  Thank God you were there for them."

"Thank you Hartford."

 "And here's to a quick recovery of your injuries." He continued. "Oh – that reminds me!" Hartford interrupted.  "The last time I saw YOU Logan, you had a really big wound in your side.  I'm actually very surprised you're here – I thought you would be in the hospital or at home resting."

"I'm fine…"

"Really?  But your wounds were so significant.  I don't know how you even survived."

"I'm pretty tough…besides, I didn't have anything a pastrami on rye wouldn't cure."

"What?  I don't understand." Hartford paused to ponder why Storm was noticeably fostering her injuries while Logan seemed completely recovered from his more serious wounds. "Wait a minute…!" Hartford excitedly said, finally putting the clues together.  "You're one of those healing mutants aren't you" he whispered.  "You told me you were in a lot of battles…that's how you survived isn't it? You're one of those mutants that can heal instantly!"

"Nope."  Logan responded.  "Vitamins and exercise."

"What?! Oh – I see." Hartford said – finally figuring out why Logan wouldn't admit the obvious.  "Um, you know…" he said with a smile. "I'm REALLY fascinated in how injury and disease resistant some people are.  It's such a fascinating area of research.  I don't suppose you would be willing to…"

"Not on yer life!" Logan responded.

"Even after all this, you're still persistent with your research?" Storm asked.

"Yes I am Arow…um – Ro? Yes I am.  What Benson did was wrong, but it doesn't change my mind about my research.  I plan to continue; but my results will be based on good, sound, legal and moral methods.  I believe this will change the world for the better."

"Why are you so persistent in your research?" she asked.

"I have to be."

"Why do you have to be?  What is driving you to this?"

"My wife." he said as he looked into his beer.

"Your wife?" Storm said with a look of surprise.  "I didn't know you were married."

"I'm not.  Not anymore at least.  She died 9 years ago…of cancer.  By the time they found it, it had spread to too many vital organs and they couldn't remove it."

"I'm so sorry Hartford.  I never knew."

"It was really tough on her.  We made her as comfortable as possible, but the last 4 months of her life were absolutely miserable.  I watched helplessly as she painfully wasted away.  Shortly before she died, every breath she took brought more and more pain into her life. It was horrible" It was obvious how much he loved her – so much so that both Storm and Logan could feel his pain. "She was such a wonderful woman…" he continued, "so kind and gentle; and she had the brightest smile I'd ever seen.  She was the kind of woman that made everything perfect." he said with a bit of a smile. "I remember how every week she would drag me to the park.  I would always pretend to be uninterested until I got there, but I really loved going.  She would tediously prepare everything to be perfect…right down to my favorite sandwich – deviled ham on raisin bread with green leaf lettuce and red onions." he continued to reminisce; then his demeanor changed.   "She wanted kids…" he said "but I was to busy with my career so I kept putting it off.  By the time I changed my mind, it was too late."

"I think I understand now." Storm said as she touched Hartford's hand.

"The day I buried her was the day I vowed to find a cure – to stop other people from going through that pain…to stop the world from losing such beautiful and wonderful people like her.  That's why I was so drawn into mutant research.  It seemed like an area that had endless possibilities.  I still think it does."

"I feel for ya buddy." Logan replied.  "I've lost people close to me, so I know what ya went through.  Even with that, it ain't gonna change my mind…not now.  I had my share of research…it AIN'T happenin' again." The tone in his voice and obvious anger behind his eyes told Hartford that Logan obviously had a VERY bad experience with research.  "Those claws you got such a close look at before..." Logan continued. "they were grafted to my bones by a scientist that snuck up on me when I wasn't lookin'."

"What?!" Hartford gasped.  "But how?  Who would have… That's outrageous!"  Hartford was genuinely appalled by the thought of doing human experimentation of that magnitude – especially without Logan's permission.  It eased Logan's mind, but didn't come close to changing it.

"So I ain't to keen on scientists or research – especially when it comes ta mutants." Logan continued.

"Fair enough." He replied as he took another sip of beer and opted to change the subject…" How is Jubilee?"

"Back to normal." Storm happily replied.  "She's a remarkable child – so vibrant, so innocent, so full of life."

"The way you protected and defended her, I would have thought she was your daughter. I mean, you took on a whole army without any regards for yourself.  That takes a lot of bravery." 

"I think of her as my own." Storm motherly replied.  "We both do."

"I can tell.  Your whole group – however many there are – seems pretty close."

"We are.  That reminds me Hartford; that was a very brave thing you did, coming to check on us.  You didn't know what was happening but you still came to investigate."

"Thank you."

"Yeah Bub, that surprised me." Logan replied.  I figured you woulda high-tailed it outta there when you heard the gunfire."

"The truth be told, I thought of running and getting the authorities, but who knows what could have happened while I was trying to find some help.  I told myself that if someone I really cared about was in there, I HAD to investigate; so that's what I did.  That's when your big friend with the guns grabbed me and nearly gave me a heart attack! I'm really glad I didn't have to fight though.  The last time I got into a fight was when I was 12… I came across the neighborhood bully - and lost."

"It's the thought that counts…ya didn't run and hide.  Ya get big points in my book." Logan said as he raised his beer in honor of Hartford.

"Thank you." Hartford replied.

"What's next for you guys?" Hartford asked

"We have our work cut out for us." Storm replied.

"Oh?" 

"Yes, making sure all the students have recovered and are readjusting will take a significant amount of time, also we have 2 other labs to look for."

"Two other labs??"

"That's what the data showed."

"I never imagined!"

"I know. It's amazing what some people will do to hurt others."

"That's not amazing." Hartford replied.  "We see bad things like that every day on the news.  What's amazing is that there are people like you guys out there fighting these bad guys – willing to risk it all on a daily basis...THAT'S amazing!"

"Thank you Hartford."

"You know, if there is anything I can do to help, I'd like to.  I don't know what capacity I can help you, but I'd sure like to try – just don't ask me to take on an army for you."

"That's very thoughtful of you Hartford." Storm replied with a smile. "We'll keep it in mind."

The rest of their lunch was spent talking about non-mutant things.  They talked about family lives, living in Northern California, Tasha, and a multitude of other things.  Much to Wolverine's chagrin, he actually found Hartford to be a nice guy – something Storm reminded him of when they got home.  Hartford had earned his respect.  Not just anyone could survive one of his berserker rages AND go on to help him afterward; the fact that Hartford had done that even though he had NO combat experience whatsoever ranked highly in Logan's mind.  

He was also impressed with Hartford's genuine interest in finding the other 2 labs – something Logan was already thinking about.  Having a highly renowned geneticist who specialized in mutant research on your team was as good as gold when trying to flush out illegal mutant researchers.

***** About a week later on a Friday afternoon… 

"Angel!" a bright young voice yelled out from the distance.

"Lisa!" Logan yelled back as he eyed Storm and the young lady walking toward him and Jubilee at their Lake Berryessa campsite.  Jubilee was very surprised.  She'd been told she resembled Lisa, but she didn't realize just how much.  They were so closely matched that Lisa could have been her older sister.

"Did she call you an Angel Wolvie?" Jubilee curiously asked.

"Yah, what about it?  You ain't the only one ta corner the market on nicknames ya know."

"Teehee – it's cute…it's sorta like an anti-Wolverine name."

"It's so good to see you again!" Lisa yelled as she gave Logan a big hug. 

"You too Darlin'" he replied.  

"You must be Jubilee" Lisa excitedly said as she held out her hand.

"That's me.  It's nice to meet you Lisa."

"You too!  I heard about what you went through when they kidnapped you.  Ms. Munroe said you were so awesome!  She said you knocked out 2 kidnappers before the third one got to you.  I can't believe you actually VOLUNTEERED to be a target just to find me and the other missing students.  You are SO brave!"

"I like her!" Jubilee proudly said as she grinned at Logan and Storm while giving herself props.

"I can't believe I'm actually camping." Lisa said while admiring the backpack Storm gave her.

"Why is that?" Storm asked.

"My parents weren't the 'outdoors' type." She replied. "We never went on camping trips or things like that."

"What about your friends."

"Mom and dad were afraid my mutant powers would be discovered, so I kinda kept to myself.  But now I'm here with you guys!  This is so exciting!"

"Boy are YOU in luck!" Jubilee happily said.  "You haven't camped til you've camped with Wolvie and Storm!  When it comes to nature, they're the best!  They know EVERYTHING about the outdoors!  You'll have a blast, and you'll see things you've NEVER seen before!"

"Yer enthusiasm is admirable Jubes," Logan chimed in, "now why don't ya take some o' that energy and help me pitch these tents."

"Sure Wolvie."

Within an hour, the campsite was completely set up and the entire group was out enjoying a swim in the lake.  For Storm, Logan, and Jubilee, it was a nice break; but for Lisa it was a totally new experience.  The group was happy to introduce her to something so fun and natural.  They knew her parents loved her, but living in a world that hated and feared mutants didn't provide a very happy childhood.  This was exactly what she needed.

Dinnertime came quickly, and while the women opted to dig into the 2 coolers of food (and junk food that Jubilee termed "necessities"), Logan opted to use the time to catch some fresh rainbow trout and largemouth bass.

Jubilee prepared the food for cooking while Lisa gathered the firewood.  She proudly put the wood in a pile resembling what she saw on television shows then began looking for the matches.

"Does anyone know where the matches are?" she asked.

"Allow me." Jubilee responded while holding up a proud finger.  With a quick wave of her hand, a perfectly-sized campfire was lit.

"Whoa!  How'd you do that?" 

"That's my mutant power…I can 'paff' fireworks with my hands."

"Yeah, she's our little firecracker!" Logan declared…proudly showing off his sizable catch.  "Howzabout you light this cigar for me Darlin' while I clean these fish?"

"Sure thing Wolvie."

Dinner was a delightful campsite pleasure…between the myriad of dishes the group brought up and the sizable amount of fish Logan caught, they ate like kings.  After dinner, they all indulged in s'mores – even Wolverine.  He grumbled when Jubilee brought out the graham crackers, but ended up eating more than anyone else.  He hated to admit it, but beer and s'mores was almost as good as beer and steak.

The first night, they sat by the campfire and talked…all night - mostly telling Lisa about their times together and what life with the X-Men was like.  Lisa was captivated by how all their adventures had brought them so closely together.  She was also amazed at the level of control each X-Man had over their powers.  Seeing how well the used their abilities and hearing about how they used them for the good of mankind really opened her eyes to who she was…and who she might become.  Instead of being cursed with her mutancy, she was starting to see how it was a blessing.  Of all the people on the planet, SHE was chosen to have and use her powers.  Before then, she'd never considered embracing them and using them to help people; she'd only been taught to hide them.  Now, with her eyes open, the world was full of endless possibilities.  

The next day Storm and Wolverine had the entire group up early.  To the senior X-Men/nature buffs, nothing could beat an early morning rise followed by a crisp campsite breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, plenty of organic veggies, and of course fresh fried fish…who could ask for anything more?  Even Jubilee couldn't complain about getting up before dawn when she smelled the delicious food cooking.  The morning was made extra special by the sunrise.  The view of the sunrise as it twinkled off the lake was as impressive as the sunset they saw the evening before.  After that, they took a long hike around the lake's greenery.  The hike did them all a world of good, especially Lisa – who by now had figured out her unique ability suited her perfectly for such activities.  Her speed gave her a natural agility that made hiking simple.  Also, her endurance kept her from tiring out.  Discovering her mutant powers made her very curious about what else she could do.

They ended the weekend camping trip with a promise to get together for at least 2 more outings before heading back to Salem Center.  Everybody needed a break, and camping really hit the spot.  It was a fitting end to such a demanding mission.  The only thing that would have made it better was Tasha; she was set to come out and join them in a couple more weeks…after Storm recovered more - giving the Ro/Lo Combo some much needed time alone.  As part of Storm's recuperation, Logan wanted her all to himself for a while.  His idea of rest and recuperation was much more romantic than hers.  She planned to prove she was physically and emotionally fit and ready for the next mission.  He planned to wine and dine her and take her mind off the mission for awhile; and since Charlie was footing the bill, he was already thinking about to take her.  Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Puerto Vallarta, and a few other places wandered through his mind.

All in all, things had gone very well since the freed the mutants at the warehouse.  Little did they know how things would change in the very near future – for all of them.

*****

What's next for the Ro/Lo Combo?  The team continues their search for the infant mutants.  While doing so, "Old Man" seeks revenge on the mutant that ruined his plan.  What does he have in store for the old Canucklehead?  Stay tuned for "Berserker ape?  Try Berserker STORM!" 


End file.
